Frost and Flame
by Vixen's-Enigma
Summary: With Pitch's threat put out of their mind, the Guardians return to their lives. Jack still finds himself adjusting to his role and the perks that come with the title, but when he runs into a new holiday guardian, Jack might learn that not all the Guardian jobs are nearly as easy as he believes it to be. Jack Frost/OC Fanfiction.
1. Prologue

**Hello and welcome to my first story. So first time on here and still trying to figure out this site. Let's keep this short. I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember and I truly enjoy it. So I thought I'd put some of my fan fictions out there for others to enjoy. I'm open to suggestions and will be happy to read your reviews of my story. **

**But in the mean time let's get on with the story. **

**Just wanted to add that I don't own the story. The only bits that are mine are the characters I developed to help this story grow and mostly it's just the their description and their names. That's about it. Everything else belongs to their respective creators and parties that claim rights over them.**

**And that's it for me. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

**Prologue**

He hated his predicament. He hated having to hide away from the sun, only to make company with the worms and roots below the surface. How long had he been in this hole? He couldn't quiet remember, and now he couldn't quiet care. Time was nothing but an entity that consumed too much of his focus, where that energy was better spent plotting.

Those foul Guardians. They had made a fool of him time and again, but this time a mere boy had been the bringer of his destruction. Now all he had was his rage and his dwelling; a dwelling covered in shadows and lying in ruins. He was not concerned. Once his strength returned, as it always did, his castle would rise to its former splendor along with its master.

But that would take time. Fear was always present in the world of humans, and without direction and guidance, it was harder for fear to grasp and cling to the hearts of humans, children especially. With the Guardians protecting those children from fear, it was taking longer for him to recover, but fear would always find its way back into the world. There was no stopping it; there was only time to delay it.

It was subtle, the recovery process. Every flicker of fear, doubt and hopelessness felt and expressed was just a steady drip of strength introduced back into his veins. How much longer would this take? Suddenly, something had merged with his being, settling into his muscles and chasing away the ache in his bones.

"Ah, now what is this?"

A new fear had festered, but not from a human. Compared to the human's fear, this was something else entirely and he hungered for more. He fed off the fear, and the fear in turn gave him the ability to rise to his feet and a few of the crumbling structures had slowly started to mend. The fear did not last long, an hour, maybe two, but the fear slowly subsided.

"It seems someone has beaten their fear for now, but no matter. A brewing storm like that certainly has potential."

Behind that fear was a torrential storm of untapped power, one that he was certain to invest his time in to harness.

He slipped his hand inside of his black cloak and pulled out just a small handful of golden sand. "I appreciate your generosity Sandman." The sand shifted and turned into the same shade of crushed onyx and the sand took the form of a small dark raven.

"You know what to do."

The raven pecked at his hand affectionately before taking flight into the air. Once the bird left, the man walked along his path, observing the damage that was done when he had lost control of his fear. There were some minimal damages and some excessive, but it was not a cause for concern.

"Seems I will need to make a few altercations before I make my appearance into the world once more."

And the darkness flowed from his hands as he begun to reconstruct his castle. Palisades were remade, the thousands and thousands of stair cases had been redone, and lastly, he had reconstructed his globe that had kept watch over all the people in the world. There were a few golden specks to show the hope and love of children around the world, but as he peered at the world, he couldn't find the one speck that had given him the strength he had now. It had simply disappeared from the globe.

His fingers stroked his chin as he sighed. "Disappointing, but no matter. I will see it again and this time, I'll be sure to temper myself with patience. I will also need to expect the impossible."

As he stared at the globe, a golden dot here and there had faded and with each light snuffed out, the more strength that found refuge in his blood and had gifted him with new life. Now all that he needed to was the will to wait and watch for the light that had given him this new chance. And he would not let this chance slip by him so easily.


	2. Chapter 1: The Millennial Party

**Chapter 1: The Millennial Party**

The day had finally settled down to a peaceful evening. The children that frolicked in the snow early in the day had retired to their houses; red-faced and exhausted from the recent snow fight they had before being called in for dinner.

"And that's it for today."

The setting sun cast a pink glow over the land as one adolescent boy kept a watchful eye on his friends that headed home. He watched from a bare tree branch as the last child had returned home. With a content sigh he leaned back against the tree and watched the houses their lights on and start the evening meals. Jack closed his eyes and breathed in the different aromas, cooked food, pine trees, and burning logs in fireplaces. How he loved those smells.

"Spring will be here soon; maybe I'll drop a blizzard in April for Bunnymund."

The thought of the Easter Bunny having to tread through snow and ice made Jack smirk. He had only a few precious months before he could create another snow day and play with his friends again. The pink sky faded to a dark violet hue as the night crept upon him. With nothing in mind and having nothing to do, Jack created snowflakes from his fingers and flicked the fragile snow into the air, watching each snowflake catch the moon and star light as it drifted down to the earth.

"Oi, Frost!"

Jack glanced over the branch and found two familiar figures; Bunnymund and Sandy. "Aw, you finally came to visit me, Bunny? I'm touched."

"Don't flatter yourself," Bunnymund said, "This was the only way we could contact you."

Jack's curiosity was piqued. He hadn't done anything too bad to get a visit from both Sandman and the Easter Bunny, "What's my lecture this time?"

"Just come down here. I'm freezin' my tail off," Bunnymund snapped.

Jack rolled his eyes and slid off the branch, floating gently down to the ground and landing in front of Sandy and Bunnymund.

"So what's the emergency?"

Sandy crafted symbols and shapes from his golden sleep sand; a calendar, a party hat, a noise maker with confetti. Sandy proceeded to pull an envelope, which was coated with the gold sand, out of his sleeve. After a quick brushing, Sandy handed Jack the letter. The envelope was sealed with a shimmering blue wax seal. In the center of the seal was an imprint of an open book. Jack flipped the letter over and saw his name elegantly printed with sapphire ink.

"Letter isn't gonna bite you, mate," Bunnymund said. Jack glared at Bunnymund as he opened the envelope and read the letter inside.

"A party invitation?" Jack asked incredulously.

"It's an annual meeting for the holiday blokes. The founders thought it best the keep our relations with one another."

"And who are these founders?"

"You already know one. The others are Mother Nature, and Father Time," Bunnymund answered.

Jack blinked. The Man on the Moon wasn't the only one? Before Jack could ask the questions that bubbled up inside his head, Sandy made a clock out of his sand.

"Looks like your questions are gonna have to wait."

Bunnymund tapped his foot on the ground and the earth fell away like quicksand and the trio fell through the hole. They all landed on their feet, but Jack and Sandy were used to the Easter Bunny's mode of transportation. They both bounced off the walls as they followed the rabbit down the rabbit hole. The air was warmer and the tunnels were made of grass and stone. The smell of fresh grass and warm days flooded Jack's nose. He didn't particularly mind the smell of spring, it was that he preferred the heady smell of chilled pine trees and wood smoke from a fire that crackled and burned logs in its hearth.

The tunnel expanded for miles and miles with no end in sight. There were even smaller tunnels breaking off from the one they traveled, but Bunnymund controlled the openings and closing of tunnels and he knew where he was going, at least Jack hoped so. They were running through the tunnels for quite some time now, longer than they had when they headed for the Warren, which was located under Australia.

"Hey, are we getting close? You didn't get lost in your own tunnels, did you?" Jack questioned. He started to doubt the Easter Bunny's sense of direction.

His question was never acknowledged. Bunnymund suddenly stopped and jumped straight up with Sandy following him. Jack pursued and was out before the hole closed. The only proof that they had left the underground tunnels was a single orange and red tulip that sprouted where the hole had once been. Jack stooped down and plucked the flower, encasing it in ice.

"Stop foolin' around. We're late."

Jack finally took stock of where he was and faltered slightly. An enormous castle that was three times the height and twice the size of Santa's workshop. It was a magnificent castle, with a moat and everything. Jack turned to see acres and acres of forest that shifted and changed with the seasons. Grass was green one minute, and it had turned into a dingy brown the next, while colorful leaves and flowers constantly bloomed and fell off the trees.

"Whoa, what is this place?" Jack asked as he watched.

"A retreat in better terms, you gonna stand outside and gawk or are you coming in?"

Jack turned and closed the gap between Sandy and Bunnymund with a twirl of his staff, kicking up a chilly breeze that carried him towards the others. They crossed the small bridge over the moat that was filled with teal water where fish of all different types swam and chased after one another. Jack turned back to look at the castle. The fortress was made of a material that Jack had never seen before. The castle clearly was made of stone, but these stones were black as night and had hues of gold and silver with veins of lapis lazuli that shifted and pulsed like real veins. When Jack moved his head to catch the sight of the gold and silver hues, the castle walls image had changed. Instead of seeing black stone, Jack was looking out to a picturesque field of freshly fallen snow that bathed and glimmered in the silver light of the moon and stars. Curiosity urged Jack to touch the castle, but his hand only met the cool and smooth surface of the stone.

"Hope I'm not losing my mind."

A gentle tug on his sleeve pulled his attention away from the stone wall. Sandy smiled and created images that suggested the castle showed what the person's true essence. Jack seemed to understand that much. Sandy nodded and gestured towards the door. The door seemed to stand out the most, with the pulsing walls that changed and shifted into who knows what; the doors seemed to be ordinary. Granted the doors were elegant mahogany with golden fringes twisting off and in to form elegant swirls and twirls. Jack and Sandy walked toward the door to where Bunnymund was already pulling out his boomerang.

"Touch the door with your staff, mate," Bunnymund instructed as he placed his boomerang on the door. Sandy followed suit. He flashed his golden whips and placed it against the door as well. Jack mimicked them and touched the end of his staff to the wooden entrance.

"And we're doing this why?"

"No handle, plus it's a security measure."

"Security from what?" But the answer didn't need to be said, "Oh. Right."

Security from creatures and people like Pitch, but before he could ask how many people like Pitch were out there, there was a faint rumble from the door and his staff began to tremble in his hands. The weapons slowly glowed and made the veins on the door shimmer and shine as well. The tremor faded along with the light, but as the light faded, the wood door began to crumble and fall to the ground. Bunnymund and Sandy stepped inside with Jack following behind. They had entered into a small courtyard that was overrun with vines, moss, and wild flowers, "But what exactly is this place?"

"Used to be the founder's home and base of operations before they relocated," Bunnymund explained, "And no, don't ask me where they relocated to, no one knows except Manny, and he won't talk about it." Jack's mouth quickly shut as he listened to Bunnymund.

"Anyway, the founders gave us this place as a refuge if something should run a foul, but the Man on the Moon thought that making Guardians was a better use of our powers. Now this is just our annual headquarters where all the other holiday and a few mythological creatures, you know superstitions, can meet one another."

"And is security really needed?"

"You don't understand, mate. This castle is where the founder's created imagination to give to the children all across the world. That imagination is what created us and the children's hopes and beliefs are what give us our powers. Without both, we would never exist."

Jack was taken aback. He was created by the Man on the Moon, but the Man on the Moon needed the power of the children's imagination to create who he actually was? The Bunnymund saw the confusion on Jack's face.

"What you were before you became Jack Frost was used because of what Manny saw in you. But to turn a human into a magical being requires a lot more magic than Manny actually has."

That seemed to make sense to Jack and as he begun to relax, Bunnymund passed under an arch where vines and flowers created a curtain. Jack looked down to the Sandman and gave a reassuring smile, "Well let's not miss out on the party."

Sandy grinned and nodded and the two passed through the curtain of vines. As they stepped through the dark tunnel he turned to his partner. "By the way, when was the last party held?"

Sandy started to count on his fingers before producing a number over top of his head.

"A thousand? A thousand what?"

Sandy then produced the world spinning in one full circle.

"A thousand years?"

Sandy nodded and floated deeper inside. Jack stayed behind and scratched his head.

"So when Bunnymund said 'annual' he really meant millennial. Well what's a thousand years to someone like us?" Jack said as he continued down the passage.


	3. Chapter 2: Flying Blind

**Chapter 2: Flying Blind **

Jack followed the dark tunnel, his hand a guide as he walked to the light and noise at the end of the tunnel. His hand fell to his side as he stepped out of the tunnel and into a world completely opposite of the world outside. Where the castle outside was serene and peaceful, the castle inside was immersed in a sea of people and creatures that Jack had never seen before. Bunnymund and Sandy had left Jack to himself, allowing him to explore things on his own.

Lights basked the room in golden warmth that came from large crystal sconces and a large crystal chandelier overhead. In the center of the chandelier was a golden fire that was supported by a golden disk and chains; it was constant and bright as the sun that had a source that couldn't be seen or placed. The floors were marble and the columns were emblazoned with mosaic art, each one depicting their own story. Jack had no idea what those stories were about and turned his attention back to the patrons inside.

Some were familiar. There was the Ground Hog, whose eyes darted nervously about the room. He looked ready to jump out of his skin at the slightest sound and movement. The spirit of Halloween was here as well, spinning and tossing his pumpkin head about for some interested party goers. Their laughs and claps, however, were exchanged for screams as they ran from the snakes and spiders that crawled out of Hallow's eyes and mouth.

"Ah, Jackie!"

A large hand slammed into Jack's back, almost making him tumble forward, "Nice to see you too, North."

"You show up fashionably late, eh?" North asked. The mirth in his eyes and smile were contagious and Jack found himself smiling as well.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I think Cottontail may have gotten lost."

"Well you are here now. So no worries," North added as he held a small cup to his mouth and drained all the contents. He tossed the empty glass aside and clapped his hand on Jack's shoulder, pulling him into the swarming mass of the people and creatures.

"Come, come, I'll introduce you."

North paraded about the massive hall with Jack in tow. North seemed it was best to reintroduce Jack to people that had known him well. They exchanged friendly greetings, but Jack could see the disdain on many of their faces.

"Now, I know how everyone feels about Jackie, but as they say "water under the bridge", eh? Let's all put past behind us, New Years is just around the corner."

The group they were talking to consisted of the Ground Hog, Baby New Years, and the Saint Patrick's Day Leprechaun, and all of them were skeptical. But with North there to assure that Jack had changed, they had decided to let dislike for Jack subside for the time being. That had made North smile and he quickly began to spin stories of past Christmas runs. He even told them that one year he had one of his Yetis have a try at delivering presents after losing a bet with Bunnymund.

"And I tell you, never again will I make mistake like that again," North proclaimed. "Yetis are not so good at the chimney. Is trick I have developed, and Yetis are not as…nimble."

Jack had begun to lose interest and quietly slipped away into the crowd before North began another tale from his days as Santa Claus. Jack had only felt safe enough to walk about without having to hunch over when North's booming voice faded to just another noise in the crowd. His eyes scanned the room once more, this time taking everything in and committing it to memory. There were more than just simple creatures such as Baby New Year or the Groundhog. There were mythical creatures that Jack had heard only in passing from the children of the world. There were beings from Greece, Japan, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland; there were others that he couldn't quiet tell what they were or where they had even originated from.

There was a smile growing on Jack's face as he took in the guests and atmosphere. His hand twirled his staff with his fingers and felt the itch to create a little mischief for the attendants. Just one small blizzard made in just the right place.

"Oh! Jack! Jack, over here!"

Jack caught the flash of green as he looked to who called out to him. He smiled and shouted back, "Hey, Tooth." It would seem that his antics would have to be saved for another time.

Tooth buzzed frantically about in the air as she fought her way through the crowd. She finally reached Jack and ensnared him in a spine cracking hug. Her face beamed at him as she pulled away, "I'm so glad you made it!"

Jack nodded in agreement. Sometimes he forgot just how tough Tooth was and how much strength she had hidden away in that small body. "This is some party."

"Oh I know, I get so excited to see everyone and take a night from work," Tooth exclaimed as she spun in a circle, looking at everyone in the room. She turned back to Jack to see the surprise on his face and quickly shook her head. "Oh, but don't misunderstand. I love my job, but one break from a thousand years of work isn't too bad to ask for, is it?"

"No, I guess not, but who's running things while you're away?"

"Oh my fairies are handling it for now. They'll be fine,'' Tooth promised, "So let's just have a little fun tonight. Come on, I want you to meet some of my other friends."

"Uh no, that's ok. I'll meet them when I see them," Jack said quickly. He caught the disappointment in Tooth's eyes and thought up an excuse fast. "I was going to head to the table for something to eat."

She grinned, "Alright. Have fun!" She flew off into the crowd, leaving Jack to himself. He heaved a sighed, relief filling his chest; knowing Tooth, she would have introduced him to everyone in the castle without stopping for a breath. He started his search for the table of refreshments, and had finally found it, but his stomach turned at the sight. The table was long, nearly cutting the room in half with its length. However, Jack seemed to be on the wrong end. To the far left he could smell cooked eggs, cookies, fruit cake, fruit, and vegetables. Further down the food changed into wild flowers, grass, soil, mud, insects, oil, raw meat, rancid trash, bones, and what he thought was a bucket of sewage. The insects shifted and crawled in the dozens of crystal jars they were held in, but no one seemed to notice or care about the very strange assortments of food on the table.

"And there goes my appetite," Jack said. He held his arm over his face and retreated from the foul smell of the trash and sewage that plagued him. As he made his retreat back into the party, his foot sunk into something wet and slick. He looked down to see something foul seeping over his foot. Jack looked up to see a creature that was nothing but oozing slime and mud. The smell assailed him as he quickly shook the foul slime off of his foot and scrambled away from the creature that picked up the bucket of sewage and slowly drank deep form it.

Jack was too focused on watching the oil monster eating that he ran head first into something hard. Jack stepped back and coughed, trying to empty his lungs of the muck monster's smell that still burned his nostrils.

"Ever heard of a bath," Jack muttered as he slowly breathed in clean air once more.

"What was that you said?"

Jack glanced up and saw a centaur towering over him. He looked back to see that the thing he had run into was the centaur's leg. The human half of the centaur had pale skin, peppered hair that had, at one point, matched the black coat of his other half. The man's green eyes were sharp and cold as they bore down on Jack. Jack took note of the scars on his face and chest; this man was every bit the warrior he seemed to be with his honed muscles and his hard strong jaw.

"I don't know, what did I say?" Jack questioned.

"You think I smell, boy?" the centaur asked with a voice as deep and low as thunder. His tail whipped and his hooves pawed the ground in agitation.

Jack leaned on his staff and shrugged, "Well you smell better that the thing over there." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the muck creature. The centaur followed the gesture and his eyes lit with anger.

"You have to be touched in the head to talk that way to a centaur."

"Uh-huh, half a horse and half a human," Jack noted as he looked over the centaur. "Well I haven't seen your kind yet at the petting zoo, but I'm not a big fan when it comes to the smell of farm animals and dirt." Jack added that last statement with a smirk.

Others nearby who had heard the confrontation slowly inched away from Jack and the centaur, creating a circle around the two of them. The centaur's feet stamped into the marble floor, his eyes burning with fury. The centaur suddenly charged at Jack. Jack spun his staff and a winter breeze carried Jack over the centaur and dropped him to the other end of the circle of people.

"Insolent boy, you need to be put into your place!" the centaur roared.

"Good luck," Jack laughed, "I'm pretty hard to catch."

The centaur reared and kicked his feet out. He charged again, but Jack tapped the butt of his staff on the ground. A sheet of ice erupted over the marble floor and the centaur ran right on to the slick path. He slipped and slid; his feet trying to find balance on the ice until he finally lost his balance and crashed on the ground. The centaur clambered back on to his feet and turned back to Jack. Jack smiled and held his staff out in front of him, ready to fight. The centaur charged again and started to close the distance, Jack's staff started to glow with power and just as the fight was about to reach its breaking point, two arrows had pierced the ground in between Jack and his opponent.

Jack stared at the arrows, confused; the centaur desperately skidded to a halt. A tiny flame sparked on both arrows and in a heartbeat both arrows were coated in red flames. The fire jumped and expanded with a loud crack, making Jack fall to the ground in shock. The fire grew into a wall to separate the two. Both the centaur and Jack distanced themselves from the inferno.

"That's enough!"

A girl landed in the circle and bore down on Jack and the mythical creature on the other side of the wall. Her crimson wings slowly folded to her body after setting her down on the ground. She was slender, with olive skin, auburn hair that was tied into a loose ponytail and reached her waist. Jack saw in her left hand an oak bow that had a dark red bowstring. The girl swept her weapon through the flames and Jack saw the bowstring glow. As it the fire spun furiously around the string until it had dissipated. All that remained was the scorched and impaled floor, and the silent atmosphere.

The centaur quickly regained his posture. "He was out of line," he barked at the girl, "He had insulted me-"

Jack felt his muscles tighten as he prepared to rise to the girl's defense, but the girl raised her hand to the centaur. Her voice was soft and calm as she spoke.

"I understand, Tah`nu. I will take responsibility for what he has said." The girl bowed, "Please forgive him and allow me to make amends. Ask what you will."

The centaur was stumped. He wanted to unleash his rage, but he seemed reluctant to do it with the girl before him. He slowly bowed in return, accepting her apology. "I will look over his transgression this time, but should it happen again, I will want a year's worth of your arrows for my entire herd."

The girl smiled brightly, "Of course."

Tah`nu left, pushing his way through the crowd. Slowly the others turned back to their friends and slowly started to gossip among themselves, but the party had been returned to normal. Quickly, the girl rounded on Jack. She was fast and in one fell swoop, she had snatched Jack by his sweater and dragged him through the crowd.

"Idiot!" the girl barked. "What makes you think you can talk to anyone, let alone a centaur, like that?"

She pulled Jack to the far side of the room and slammed Jack into the wall. He winced, but quickly regained posture. "Not my fault he's overly sensitive," Jack muttered.

"Let me give you a little tip of information. Centaurs are prideful; they are a very proud race. For you to attack Tah`nu like that-," The girl stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "If I hadn't interfered you were going to die."

"And you care why?" Jack asked.

"I care because I'm trying to get this place calm and in order. I'm one of the people here to make sure no one starts beating the other into oblivion."

Jack laughed loudly, "You're the party police?"

"Head of it actually," the girl replied coolly. "First and last warning: Start another fight and I'm going to throw you out of this place myself."

Jack looked at the girl, but this time he really looked. He looked into the face of the head of security and he had been caught off guard. She had hazel eyes that glimmered with tiny gold flecks. She had untidy bangs that had just reached her left eyebrow. She had a heart-shaped face with soft round lips and a cute pixie nose. She had small golden earrings and a tunic that fell just to her knees. A golden belt was tied around her waist and she had dark brown sandals with laces that wound their way up her shins. He watched as she fitted the bow over her head so it rested on her shoulder.

"Do we have an understanding?"

"Sure," Jack agreed.

The girl turned on her heel and walked away. Jack saw the crimson wings were folded tightly against her body as she maneuvered her way through the crowd. Jack smirked as he saw others step out of her way and stare at her as she passed by.

"See yourself into some trouble now, did you?"

Bunnymund hopped over and stood on his back feet as he and Jack caught the last bit of her fade into the swarming mass.

"Horse just got upset I ate the last apple," Jack said. "Wasn't a big deal."

"Doesn't seem that way to me," Bunnymund said. "If Arianna had to get involved, it must have been quite a stir up."

"Arianna?"

"That girl who was puttin' you in your place," he pointed out. "Take it from me; she's not one to cross."

"Is that right? What's her job?"

"Other than keepin' the peace here? She spends her time finding love for humans."

"Ok, stop the joking."

"I'm not joking, mate. She's the Cupid."

Jack couldn't believe it, "Isn't she supposed to be a he? And aren't they supposed to be half-naked kids in diapers with cute little, puff-ball wings?"

"Those are her cherubs. They're like Tooth's fairies, North's yetis, and my stone guardians."

Jack mauled on that thought. If Valentine's Day is meant for love and unions, then how did that job fall to someone like her? From what he had experienced, she was brash, bossy, and short-tempered.

"I might have to look into this."

"Whoa, hold on. That's not something you want to do. She's new to the job, but she takes no mischief from anyone or anything," Bunnymund warned.

"Well, she just hasn't met my kind of mischief."


	4. Chapter 3: The Cove

**Chapter 3: The Cove**

Time here didn't flow like the rest of the world. Outside, the sky above didn't have clouds, sun, or even the moon. It was a canopy of stars, planets of different sizes and colors, and glowing galaxies that slowly spun about like a child's mobile. Jack was at a lost for what the real time was, but he put it out of his mind. He mingled with a few friendly faces while keeping his distance from Tah`nu. Every now and then, he would catch the glimpse of red wings out of the corner of his eye, or he would hear her laughter and he turned to see her conversing with friends of her own.

This time when he saw her laugh, he saw that in her hand she held a small glass filled with water. He smiled maliciously. He flicked his staff and a stream of frost shot out and froze the water inside the cup. Arianna tipped the glass to her lips only to find the contents inside completely frozen solid. Her eyes fell on Jack and she saw the smirk on his face. She smirked back. Where her fingers held the cup, Jack saw the soft glow of heat forming on the glass. The ice melted inside the cup and she continued to drink. Her eyes said what her mouth didn't; _Thanks. I needed a refill._ That had slightly agitated Jack.

He started to spend the better part of the celebration tracking Arianna and trying to get a rise out of her. Jack left ice slicks on the floor where she was ready to step, but when Arianna's foot touched the ground, the ice melted and shied away.

"Shouldn't we stop him?" Tooth asked. While Jack was busy trying to agitate Arianna, the rest of the Guardians watched his attempts fail time and again.

North chuckled, "He's having fun. Let the boy be."

"But what if he pushes Arianna too far?" Tooth asked with a touch of worry in her tone.

"Ah, she won't do too much damage to him. Besides, it's good lesson to learn."

Bunnymund turned to Sandy. "How much longer do you think she'll put up with it?"  
Sandy's smiled and made golden sand take the shape of a clock and the number 10.

"10 minutes? She doesn't have that much tolerance. I say five minutes."

Sandy made golden disk appear above his head.

"You're on. But this time, let's keep the bet between you and me. I don't want to split my profits three ways."

Tooth watched the others leave, but turned to see Jack try again to get on Arianna's nerves. A soft smile reached her lips. "Maybe I should get in on Bunnymund and Sandy's bet."

Jack formed a snowball in his hand and watched carefully where Arianna was moving. His hand gripped tight on the ball, he pulled his hand back, ready to fire it when he stopped.

"Oh, Arianna, do you have to go?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Arianna said sadly. "With New Year's coming up, I should start getting ready for Valentine's. Arrows need to be made, and humans need to be matched up. I should really get on that."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Arianna was talking to someone Jack didn't know, but he smiled. He crushed his hand into a fist and the snowball disappeared.

The two women hugged. "Do you mind keeping an eye on things here? Hate to hear a fight broke out when I left."

"Of course."

Arianna smiled at that and slipped out of the party, heading down the tunnel entrance, saying a few goodbyes here and there before finally leaving.

Jack landed on the ground softly and followed after Arianna, a plan quickly brewing in his head.

"Jackie! Where are you running off to?" North asked. He had appeared at Jack's side and halted Jack. He turned Jack around and pushed him back to the party.

"I was just going to-"

"No time for that. We need to formally introduce you to everyone that you are a Guardian."

"We couldn't have done this earlier?" Jack asked, agitated.

"Ha! You are eager to make a mark for yourself, but patience is needed."

Jack was pushed in to the very heart of the party where Tooth, Sandy, and Bunnymund were waiting.

"Everyone! We have big announcement!" North said in his booming voice.

All eyes turned to North and the others as he continued. "Now, some of you have been told about the situation, but I and the other Guardians have wanted to formally announce our new member. Manny has chosen our very own Jack Frost, to be a Guardian and Jack was accepted into our ranks."

Some people weren't sure how to exactly convey their emotions, but happiness was clearly not one of them. A few unsure claps urged the others to give a round of applause to Jack and Jack wasn't surprised. He knew the questions going through their heads; Bunnymund had voiced it when Jack was first told he was a guardian. _How can we trust him to protect children?_

"Jack had really turned around," Tooth assured everyone. "He is an excellent protector of children and he was even seen by a few of the children of the world. He has proven himself to be a wonderful Guardian. He helped us defeat Pitch when he was at his most dangerous."

Sandy nodded enthusiastically with Tooth's statement. Bunnymund walked over to Jack and whispered, "Now is a good time to make your speech."

Jack sighed. He didn't know what to say, and his mind wasn't on speeches. His attention was walking out of the tunnel, and he was going to lose his chance.

"Well. I'm…honored to be made a Guardian. I uh…hope that I won't disappoint any of you…" Jack trailed off. He was struggling to try to find something else to say. "I promise that I will always put the needs of the children before me and I won't let a child fall to anyone's influence like Pitch again."

A steady clap rose from the crowd and his friends behind him clapped as well. "Well, now that's been settled. I need to run. Thanks for the invite and I hope to see you in the next…thousand years…"

Jack quickly launched himself through the crowd and disappeared down the tunnel. North laughed. "Oh…that boy is restless. Always on the move. But let's not worry about it, tonight is a time for celebration so let's keep this party going!"

Jack shoved the vines out of his way and looked around. In the courtyard he saw Arianna near the small moss-covered wall to the far left. He watched her, retreating back behind the wall and hiding behind the vines. She held one of her arrows in her hand and Jack watched the process. She removed her bow from her shoulder and fastened an arrow on the string. She took her stance, her back straight and her eyes sharp as she aimed the arrow at the wall. She released it and before the arrow hit the wall, the arrow became enveloped in fire and the fire devoured the arrow and grew. The fire spun and roared as it climbed to the top of the wall.

"A portal huh."

Arianna stepped through and once she disappeared into the fire, Jack made his run for it. He kicked up a wind that tossed him into the portal as it started to shrink and close. The smell of moss and water was quickly replaced with the smell of salt and sand. Jack landed hard on the ground.

"Ow…"

He rubbed his head and noticed that his hoodie had been coated in white sand. He looked to see that he was facing out to a blue topaz ocean that glittered like a gem under the bright blue sky. This was strange to Jack. Not that Jack stayed clear away from beaches, but he visited them during the colder months. Never did he think that the gray sea he saw during winter would ever sparkle and be as inviting as it did. The sand beneath his feet was cool and soft. The sun wasn't able to reach the sand where Jack was.

Jack was hidden in shadow however. A rocky ceiling was over his head and had blocked the sun's rays from reaching inside, all except for one. Jack turned behind him and saw a chasm above his head and golden light bathed the sand behind him. He stood up and walked to the hole, looking up to see a clear blue sky above him. He looked at the ground and saw footprints stopping at this hole.

He flew through the hole and landed on the outside to touch soft emerald grass.

"What is this place?" Jack laughed. He was just a coastal paradise one minute, and now he looked out to a grove of wild trees and flowers. The sound of the crashing waves and the songs from the song birds blended together to make an alluring and relaxing music. Jack felt himself get heavy with sleep and his heart became light with peace.

"No…no going to sleep."

Jack walked through the forest of trees, keeping himself awake as he took in the sights. Some of the trees had flowers already blooming on them and a few had fallen from their branches, and carried off by the wind. Jack continued down his path, not really sure where he was going, but with the sun shining through the canopies of the trees. He was too interested in the area where he was, that finding Arianna to annoy was not in the forefront of his mind.

However, as relaxing and inviting this place was, Jack was starting to get really hot. He took cover under the shade of the tree to cool off and he made the ground freeze with his staff.

"Wonder where she ran off too."

Once Jack had cooled off enough, he climbed the tree he was resting against and stopped at the very top of the tree. Jack saw the forest extended on and on until it stopped at the foot of an enormous tree that could have been home to half, if not all, the people at that party. It was huge, its leaves were able to touch low flying clouds if there had been any in the sky and it was at least 5 times the size of any one of the trees that surrounded him now. Even from this distance, Jack could see buildings dotting some of the thicker branches and platforms that were built inside the tree's trunk.

He jumped from tree top to tree top, as he made his way to the giant tree. The last distance he closed through flying. His winter wind carried him all the way to the first platform and even that was a considerable distance. The platform was immaculate. A painting of what looked like Arianna. She was on one knee as she held aimed her bow at some unknown target. The arrow emblazoned with fire. Surrounding the image of 'Cupid' were small hearts, cherubs, and flowers.

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

Jack looked to see a boy staring him down. He was smaller than Jack by at least a foot, but that didn't seem to shake the kid.

"Ugh, you know just looking around."

The boy had bright blue eyes that didn't show his innocent youth. Behind those eyes were years and years of wisdom. His boyish features, his curly brown hair, the golden laurels fixed on his head, the white tunic and sandals tied around his shin's like Arianna's, and his white wings show his purity and youth, but it was dulled by those eyes. Those eyes made him look older beyond his years.

"Might I have your name?"

"It's Jack Frost," Jack answered. "How about yours?"

"Seeing as you're the one trespassing, I don't see a reason to share mine," the boy replied with a stiff tone.

"Then I suppose we're done here."

"Then please leave."

"Nah, I'd rather take a look around here. By the way where's Arianna?"

The boy glared, that had hit a spot. "She's busy with preparations and she can't be disturbed at the moment."

"Oh don't worry. She and I get along well. She'll be ok with me disturbing her."

He looked over the platform and saw that around the tree were a number of gardens filled with roses, tulips, lilies, and other wild flowers. To the east he saw a small mountain that had a tiny blue stream cutting its way through the rock and making its journey down to the ocean.

Large flesh-colored birds seemed to fly in and out of the trees near the base of that mountain.

"I need you to leave now at once," the boy said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah."

Jack flew to where the flesh-colored birds were and landed just a few yards away from where they were popping in and out of the trees. He made the rest of the way by walking and on closer inspection, he saw dozens of cherubs picking and pulling branches off the tree and others gathering fallen twigs on the ground. The humans have depicted them quite well. They were chubby little babies, with curly hair of blonde, brunette, and red, with tiny white wings and a tiny shawl wrapped around one shoulder and a belt tying the tunic to their bodies.

A clearing was ahead and he saw Arianna sitting by the river's bank. There were two piles, one with different sticks, and another with piles of red feathers. A large red bird perched itself on the rock as it shed its beautiful crimson feathers on to the ground. She wound the feather on one end as she had a basket full of stone shaped arrow heads that were ready to get fitted and made into an arrow. As she busied herself with this, a cherub had taken it upon himself to braid her hair and add flowers to the braid.

"Took you this long to find me, did it?"

Arianna's eyes fell on him in the shadow of the trees.

"How did you know I was here?" Jack asked.

"I guessed. And the cherubs saw you on your way in. They aren't good at keeping secrets," Arianna continued, pointing to the small flying children that started to hover above Jack.

"Right."

"Well, you're here now. So what did you want?" Arianna shot right at the heart of the situation.

"I just…never met a Cupid before and I wanted to see what their place was like," Jack lied.

"You sure it had nothing to do with you wanting to nail me in the back of the head with a snowball?"

Jack laughed, "You sure you don't have eyes in the back of your head?"

Finally he saw a soft smirk broke on Arianna's face. "You're just predictable. I've heard stories about you Jack Frost."

"Oh, anything having to tell about my daring heroism, my witty charm?"

"No, it was more about how much of a child you were."

Jack's ego deflated, "Well they got me there."

"People tell me about the tricks you play. However, I don't think that's a bad thing."

"You don't, and why's that?" Jack asked.

"It's what makes you, Jack. If you weren't childish, how could you hope to be a Guardian? You create a world of snow and fun for children."

Jack felt pride swell with that.

"It also helps me get people to fall in love, so I suppose I should thank you for that. But I still find you a nuisance."

Jack's pride was shot and he felt his irritation swell. Arianna looked back to Jack with a mischievous grin of her own.

"Well, since you're here already, you want to help me with these arrows?" The cherubs looked to Jack.

"What makes you think I want to help you with your work?"

"The fact that you're pretty much stuck here until I open another portal for you to get back home."

Jack growled. He didn't know exactly where he was, and with these warm winds, he was going to have a hard time getting back on them. Plus, the heat could very well make him sick if not kill him.

Jack blasted the ground with his staff, covering the grass in a soft pile of snow. He sat down on the snow and reached for the pieces of wood. He held a stick in his hand and he suddenly flushed. He never made an arrow before, and he had no clue where to start. Arianna's eyes looked up from her work again as she watched Jack. She pulled a ball of red string, the same string that tied help make her bow.

"Here, like this."

She pulled a feather out of the feather pile and turned to the bird, "Thank you for your help. You can go home now if you like."

The bird bowed and took flight, leaving Jack and Arianna behind. "What kind of bird was that," Jack asked. "I never saw that kind before."

"It's a phoenix. Now, you want to learn how to make arrows or no?"

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it."


	5. Chapter 4: Snow Day

**Chapter 4: Snow Day**

Jack and Arianna had small discussions here and there as they made the arrows. Jack had slowly gotten the hang of fastening the arrow-head and the phoenix feathers to the wooden shafts.

"So how long have you been playing Cupid?" Jack asked.

"Not long. About 8 years," Arianna replied.

Jack had two years on her, but his job wasn't nearly as complex. All he had to do was will it to snow and that was it. "So how exactly do these arrows work? These arrowheads look like they're being made for battle or something."

"To us they'd leave a pretty nasty mark, but to humans, these tips do as much damage as a mosquito bite, minus the itchy red bumps."

Jack eyed the arrowhead and wanted to test that. He tapped the tip of the stone and gave a quick inhale. His fingertip slowly had a red bubble forming on his skin.

"You weren't lying," Jack said, sucking the blood off his finger.

Arianna chuckled and continued to busy herself with the arrows. Jack's eyes fell on the tan satchel that hung around Arianna's waist. Inside held a spool of dark red string that was the same type used on her bow. The spool was closely guarded by its owner, not letting it out of her sight. When Jack needed a bit of string, she was sure to unwind the string herself. He was greatly intrigued by the fact that all she had to do was hold the string between her index finger and thumb and the string would break apart.

Jack held the small bit he had between his fingers, but the string still remained intact, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"The string thing, I can't seem to break it," Jack growled as he wound the string between his fingers and tugged and pulled with all his might, but still the string would not give in.

"It's the same thing with you and your snow. It's my own special technique."

Jack and Arianna finished making the arrows and gathered them into the basket. As they were getting ready to leave, Jack's foot kicked an object and he looked down to see that Arianna had forgotten her spool of string. Jack bent down and picked it up, taking the time to really look at the string, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary with it, but he couldn't understand why she was so protective of it. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a hand shot out and snatched the spool out of his hands.

He looked to the person that did it, and recoiled. Arianna's eyes bore into his with what looked like hate.

"Wh-what? What's wrong?"

Arianna's eyes softened slightly and her face flushed with embarrassment, "Sorry. I just…don't like people touching this. It's important."

"Oh sorry. I didn't know."

Arianna nodded and put the spool into her bag. She repositioned the basket in her arms and headed down stream with Jack following after her. He walked beside Arianna, but she seemed to have lost all the energy she had to talk. Her face was still pink from her earlier reaction and she avoided eye contact with him. Jack wasn't sure where to take the conversation.

"So…um…that Phoenix earlier, was he the only one here?"

Arianna shook her head, "No, but he was losing his feathers and decided to share them with me. With the way his feathers were falling though I wouldn't be surprised if he died within the week."

Jack felt his blood halt. The way she said it, as if it was something that was of little concern had made Jack do a double take on the person he walked beside. "You don't seem too shocked at this."

"Why would I?" Arianna looked up and saw the horror on Jack's face. "Oh, that's right. You don't know about Phoenixes do you?" Jack shook his head. Arianna then went to explain that Phoenixes had a habit of dying by catching on fire and burning to ashes, and from those ashes they were reborn. One of the signs that a Phoenix was close to dying was by the number of feathers they lost.

Arianna took a right and followed an animal path through the woods and in no time they were at the base of the large tree fort. A small rock wall surrounded the tree where it walled of small gardens filled with unique flowers. The flowers had the most vibrant and beautiful colors Jack had ever seen before, and it was a natural beauty, not the artificial colors that humans were so fond of.

"Nice garden."

"I'm happy with it. The cherubs put a lot of work in to it."

Jack opened the small wooden gate and let Arianna through. She passed him and went to a large hole in the tree where a pulley system was constructed. Arianna placed the basket inside the hole of the tree where a net hung from the pulley system. She tugged a string that snaked its way out of the hole and a bell, that couldn't be seen, rung with a sweet tone and the basket began to rise and disappeared out of sight.

"Where is that going?"

"The cherubs will distribute them among the others and me."

Arianna turned back to the garden and smiled. "Feels like I haven't been in this garden for ages."

Jack looked to the garden too, "Why's that?"

"I don't know. I guess my work has kept me busy."

"Well, you could take the time to relax now."

Arianna thought about that for a moment, but she frowned and shook her head. "Unfortunately, I can't. Still need to prepare."

Arianna opened her wings and was ready to take flight, but Jack had another idea in mind. He quickly spun a snowball in his hand and hurled it straight at her back. Arianna yelped from the sudden cold and quickly scrambled to brush the ice off of her before it got her tunic wet.

"What was that for?" Arianna barked.

Jack laughed. "You just told me you've been too busy working to enjoy anything. So think of today as a snow day."

He hurled another snowball and pelted Arianna in the side of the head, making her shout from the sudden spray of cold to her face.

"Stop it you jerk!" Arianna shouted, her face getting red.

"Nah, I'm having too much fun," Jack said, wiping up another snowball, but before he got the chance to throw it, Arianna shot a ball of fire at Jack's hand, making the snow melt into water.

"You can shoot fireballs?" Jack asked with astonishment. "How is that fair!"

"You tell me," Arianna said with a sly smirk. Her fingers spun a small ball of fire in her palm. Jack swung his staff and a cold air blew out the fireball in Arianna's hand.

Arianna made another fire-ball, but before she could throw it, Jack had started up a chilling wind that lifted him into the air, carrying him away, "Shouldn't your aim be a lot better considering your profession?"

He spun in the air and let the wind carry him, taunting her. As he waited for her to give chase, he watched the world pass by underneath him and how the sea sparkled in the sunlight.

Suddenly, a blaze of red flashed by his eyes, and the sudden force had knocked him out of his air current, and he was falling. He spun around, trying to see what had hit him, but he already had an idea. He conjured up another air current before he fell into the trees, making the wind carry him back up where he could see everything.

"Where'd she go?" Jack said to himself. He searched the skies and the ground, but he couldn't see where Arianna was. He shielded his eyes and looked to the sun, thinking she'd probably be hiding in the sun's light, but he didn't see her shadow. Jack groaned. There was only one other option.

Jack slowly slipped through the canopy of a tree, and climbed down, quietly settling himself on the grass. He clung close to the tree, using the shade to hide himself from view as he searched for her.

"I can see you Jack," Arianna said.

Jack snapped his head around, but he didn't see her. She was close by though. Jack slowly left the safety of the tree and walked about, spinning slowly in circles with a snow ball in hand.

"Is this really a fair fight?" Jack called, "Fighting in this environment is not entirely easy for me."

"You're not fooling me, Jack Frost. Besides, you were the one who started this," Arianna pointed out.

_Well there goes that plan_, Jack thought bitterly to himself. She wasn't the one to fall for the victim routine it would seem.

Arianna sat on a tree branch, out of Jack's view, as she watched Jack walk through her forest. She couldn't hide her smile; this game was turning out to be more fun than she had originally thought. While Jack had searched for her in the sky, she had gathered a pocketful of walnuts and had made a sling shot with her string and a sturdy twig. With quick accuracy and succession, she had fired walnuts to hit the ground by Jack's feet, making him jump from each one.

"That could seriously hurt someone, you know," Jack shouted, making her laugh at his frustration. If she wanted to hurt him, he would certainly know it. As she was getting ready to send him another walnut, she paused. A perturbing thought had flicked through her mind and she froze.

Before she could fully come to grips with the thought, an icy snowball pelted her in the side of the head and sent Arianna off her branch. She fell to the ground, but instead of hitting grass, she fell in a pile of freezing cold snow that swallowed her up to her shoulders. Arianna quickly scrambled out of the snow pile and shivered as the ice melted into water and sank into her clothes.

Jack had doubled over in laughter at Arianna's reaction. Tears started to shimmer in his eyes as he struggled to breathe. Arianna felt her face flush and angrily stormed off to find a nice sunny spot to dry off in. Jack had followed after her and sat down next to her as she wiped the water off her arms and legs, "Sorry. But if I hadn't made that snow pile at the bottom of the tree, you would have been seriously hurt. I will say though, seeing your face like that was definitely worth it."

Arianna's agitation slowly died down. The thought that had occurred to her in the tree had been lost. From the sudden fall from the tree and into the snow pile, any thought had all been chased away from her mind.

"You're not mad, are you?" Jack asked after she had not replied.

"Just mad that I got caught with your snowball," Arianna replied stiffly.

While the two basked in the sunlight, the crunch of twigs and grass approached them. The boy who Jack had run into earlier had appeared at their spot, looking very unhappy. He turned a stern gaze to Jack.

"Sorry Arianna. I asked him to leave," the boy apologized.

"Thank you, Aethon, but everything is fine," Arianna said.

"I can see. I'm surprised to see that you have finished the preparations for today so quickly, but I am glad to see that you are having fun after finishing a hard day's work." Aethon noted.

Arianna sighed and smiled, "Alright, alright, I get the message. I'm heading back to work now." She rose to her feet and walked to Aethon.

"Aw, come on, that's not what snow days are about," Jack retorted.

"Arianna does not have the same luxury as you, Jack Frost," Aethon said in a cool tone. "Please leave the Cove, she is busy and you are delaying progress."

Arianna stopped beside Aethon and placed her hand on his shoulder. Her smile was soft, and the chill from Aethon's eyes melted. "It's alright, Aethon. Thank you for reminding me about my work, but Jack didn't mean anything by it. He was just a kid who wanted to have some fun."

"Kid! I'm older than you -"

Arianna turned to Jack and laughed, "You're right. Thanks for the distraction, but you should head back now Jack. I'm busy and you only have a few more snow storms to kick up before it starts getting too warm for it."

Before Jack could say what was on his mind, Arianna stretched her red wings and took flight. Aethon cast another glare to Jack before stretching his own white wings and flying after Arianna. The two slowly became smaller as they distanced themselves from Jack, but Jack's mind kept falling back on Arianna's face and he couldn't shake the feeling he got from it.

A cry had distracted Jack and he saw a Phoenix perched in the tree, watching him with its large amber eyes.

"Came to nag me to leave too?" Jack asked.

The Phoenix flew over to Jack and landed on his shoulder. He felt the warmth radiating from the bird, but his eyes fell on the bird's feet. In one golden claw, it had a feather clutched firmly in its grasp. Jack plucked the feather from the bird's feet and the bird immediately flew off. The feather suddenly sparked and exploded in flame and Jack dropped it on the ground. As the feather touched the ground, tendrils of fire wove and spun a portal in front of Jack, revealing his icy home on the other side.

"Guess that's their way of saying "get out"," Jack muttered.

He stepped through the flames and was immediately washed with heat and light as he traveled through the portal. In a blink of an eye, his feet rested on the silver pond, frozen over by ice and snow. Jack looked up to the sky and saw the orb hanging overhead. Jack shook his head.

"I was gone an entire day, huh."

Jack climbed the tallest tree and stood on the highest branch to look out over the city that glittered in the distance. He slumped down and watched the city, listening to the far off sounds of cars and people, but his mind kept going back to Arianna's face before he left. His heart gave a funny feeling at the sight of her smile and he recognized that smile all too well. It was the smile he wore before he became a Guardian, the one that he always hid behind to assure everyone that he was fine and in control. Arianna was alone and she was using that smile to hide her feelings from everyone, and Jack felt sympathy for her; he was very familiar with the anger and sadness that came from being ignored or forgotten.

If it wasn't for Jamie finally being able to see him, Jack would have never understood the feeling of being accepted and wanted. If he hadn't, he didn't know what would have become of him. He looked back to the sky and recalled those old memories; he closed his eyes and smiled. He couldn't let someone like that go through the same pain that he went through.

Jack sighed heavily, "I have no idea where I even need to start."


	6. Chapter 5: Secrets

**Chapter 5: Secrets**

Jack had dozed off on his branch during the night, his dreams taking him through distant memories that he had made from his past life. The memories though were too few, but to Jack they were priceless artifacts that he hoped to never forget again. As the last memory slowly faded to darkness, Jack stirred. He gave a long and deep yawn as he woke to a bright blue sky and crisp white snow on the ground. Children were already making their way out of their houses and started to build snow fortresses and snowmen. The snow day was still in effect from Jack's previous storm, but he couldn't really enjoy his work. Instead of frolicking in the snow with the other children he simply sat on the branch and watched them play. Jack kept thinking about the sad smile that Arianna had the day he left the Cove, and he felt compelled to help her, yet he didn't know why.

Despite being out in his element, he could still smell the wild flowers, the grass, the trees and the moss. The song of the brook that cut its way through the land and ran over the rocks that rested on the banks. Jack even remembered the way the bird's chorus as they nested in the trees and danced in the sky. Even though the warmth was not particularly one he cared for, he couldn't help but be intrigued by the way the air had the mixed scent of the forest and the sea together; ancient, free, and filled with life and the promise of adventure.

"To be able to fly through those skies, I envy her a little," Jack said to himself as he observed the sky that was over him now. But Arianna clearly wasn't happy. So Jack stood on his feet and smiled. With his destination in mind, the wind plucked him off the branch and carried Jack to where he had wanted to go.

His feet did not touch ground again until he was at the front of two large wooden doors. A small building and workshop nestled and hidden in the mountain's howling wind and treacherous snow top. Jack rapped his staff on the wood door and waited. The door groaned and creaked as a huge yeti pushed the door open to see who was waiting on the other side.

"Hey Phil," Jack said as the Yeti stared him down. "I need to talk to North."

The yeti's eyes burned and he turned to close the door, but Jack was quicker. He slipped pass the yeti and because of its large size, it had difficulty trying to grab Jack.

"Thanks Phil," Jack called back as he made a run for North's room. He had dodged and traipsed his way through the workshop, dodging the glares and shouts from the other yetis that had seen him.

Jack had reached North's room, where a large globe stood stationed in the middle, dusted with tiny golden lights. North was further back, perusing over a large scroll with names elegantly written.

"North," Jack called.

"Ah, Jackie. Good to see you. What brings you here?" North frowned at the army of yetis and elves crowding behind Jack. "It's fine. Go back to your jobs."

The yetis frowned and grumbled as they turned their backs to Jack. Phil had even dropped a club and left it behind in his disappointment.

"I actually had a favor to ask. Could you give me one of those snow globes to use?"

North eyed Jack suspiciously, "Why?"

"I need to head to the Cove," Jack said bluntly.

North's eyes narrowed. He set his list down and faced Jack fully. "What do you intend to do by going there? Arianna isn't going to be pleased with you interrupting her preparation."

"I actually think she could use the distraction. She didn't seem too bothered by it yesterday."

"You were at the Cove yesterday?"

"Yeah, hasn't anyone else?"

"No," North said. "No one else has ever set foot in the Cover other than Arianna."

That was a surprise to hear, even for Jack. Before he could stop himself, he asked North, "Why hasn't there been anyone else there before? If she doesn't want anyone at the Cove, then why was she ok with me being there?"

North pondered on that. His hand pulled at his beard as he stared at Jack, but the answer never seemed to come to him.

"Hard to say, Jack. Not many of us have ever seen Cove. It's very secretive and well-guarded. Not even Easter Bunny can find his way there," North stated, but then he turned back to Jack. "How did you get there, anyway?"

"I ran through the portal before it closed," Jack said bluntly.

"Portal?"

"You know that fancy magic stuff that some of you guys have. It's like you and your snow globes-wait." Jack stopped and looked back to North. "Are you telling me that you're snow globes can't even get you there?"

North gave a deep and hearty laugh at that, "Of course they can, Jack. There is no place in this world where they can't get you. The thought just never occurred to me to use one to see the Cove."

"Why? Everyone is giving Arianna plenty of space so that she can go and be Cupid for a day. Making arrows and shooting them at people doesn't seem that hard."

The light in North's eyes seemed to fade and he became sad, as if what Jack said brought a very unpleasant thought. "What's wrong?"

"Maybe I'll tell you another time, Jack. For now, just leave Arianna to her work."

North turned to leave, but Jack blocked his path, "Wait, why can't you tell me now?"

"I have to get back to work Jack. Besides, if you want to know, the person you should be asking, is not me."

North pushed by Jack; he was left alone now, except for the few elves that scurried about the workshop. Unbeknownst to Jack, a shadow was watching him. A small black raven rested on a rafter and kept out of sight, but listened intently to the conversation Jack and North had. The bird spread its wings and took flight out into the frigid air.

The bird had taken a less direct route back to its master, by traveling through the shadows. The underground ruins that had once been there transformed and were rebuilt to its former glory. Pitch had done away with the many cages that he had constructed during his last attempt at trying to gain power. Now he simply spent his days staring at the globe, stalking the lights of the children and picking the ones that had the most fear that he could feed on, but they were no match to that one that had regenerated him to his former glory, and he was constantly vigilant, waiting for just the slightest flicker of it, but so far, it had not resurfaced.

The raven perched itself on Pitch's shoulder, pulling his attention away from the map, "Ah, my friend. Have you any luck?"

His fingers stroked the small raven's head and Pitch became disappointed with the information that was given to him. "I had expected more than that." He flicked his hand and batted the raven away. With that, the raven took flight to go back to its job once more.

Pitch though was slightly intrigued with the last bit of information the raven had relayed to him. He looked back to the map and mulled over it, but his face had suddenly split into a smirk.

"Perhaps, my little friend had delivered to me more than what I had originally thought," Pitch muttered to himself. For now, he would have to bide his time and wait for him to gain his strength and make his move.

Jack had left the workshop and retreated back to a small town. He sat on the roof of a building and watched the people down below scuttle from one destination to the next. Jack had trouble trying to understand what he had found out. He was the only one to ever be in the Cove and Arianna was supposed to be left alone until she was done with all this Valentine's Day nonsense.

"For crying out loud, it's just Valentine's Day. It's not like Christmas or Easter, and kids don't even care of it," Jack growled as he threw his back to the roof to stare up at the sky.

For a while, Jack lied on the roof, listening to the brisk wind howl through the streets and through the bare trees as he let his thoughts wander. For the first time for a long time, Jack didn't feel like playing any snowball fights or have any sled races with his friends. He racked his mind for an answer that wasn't there, to the point where he was getting a head ache from the over thinking. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that the sight of a cherub had almost went unnoticed.

Jack shot up and looked over the roof to see the miniature Cupid fluttering about the streets, hovering over people and following after others. After the Cupid thoroughly hounded the people, he pulled a tiny bow and arrow out and shot the person with the arrow. Jack felt his muscles tense, but the arrow merely passed through the person's chest and disappeared until Jack saw that the person now had a transparent flame burning in the center of their torso.

Confusion took over Jack; if the cherubs do the work, then what was Arianna doing that was so important? He watched the cherub continue the process and he spent a long time sifting through the mass and crowds. Despite his constant observation and stalking, he had only shot four arrows before flying away. Jack brought himself to his feet and flew after the cherub, keeping his distance so that he wouldn't be seen. The cherub was leaving the town and Jack still kept close. In the next town over, a few miles or so off, Jack started to struggle keeping track of his target. The town was a city and even Jack's cold air couldn't keep the citizens inside.

The streets were packed with cars and the sidewalks jostled with the crowd of people, and the miniature cupid kept slipping in and out of sight. It dodged through crowds and spun around tall skyscrapers and buildings. Jack flew around one corner and had to stop abruptly. The cherub had flown up to a short squat business office and Arianna was standing on the roof of that building. Jack slipped back behind the wall; Arianna took notice of the cherub and smiled warmly at him. She nodded at the small child and he had left her, but Arianna still stood on the roof. Jack had taken notice of the way that she held herself and had her bow in hand; Jack had thought she was an archer preparing for an upcoming battle.

Suddenly, Arianna stretched her wings and dropped off of the roof. Jack felt himself tense slightly at this, but she had caught herself during the fall and flew over the streets. She was fast and Jack wasn't sure he could keep up with her, but he was going to try. Jack shoved off of the building and followed after her; he watched Arianna as she flew with unbelievable speed, but what was more impressive was her skill with the bow. While she flew, Arianna had taken an arrow out of her quiver and fastened it to her bow, eyes scanning the crowds below. With quick accuracy, Arianna drew back the string and loosed the arrow into the throng below; Jack watched the arrow fly, the feather sparkling as it found its target. The arrow fell between two people who had the transparent haze glowing in both of their chests. As the arrow came into range, it suddenly burst into glittering red dust and Jack stopped to watch as Arianna continued with her job. The red dust looked like it was about to scatter into the wind, but it hung in the air, unyielding to the air currents. The dust joined together and made a red thread that constricted and tied the two people together by their hearts. Once the connection completed, the two people glanced at one another and both smiled.

"You…you're in my ethics class, right?" the man asked.

The girl gave a soft chuckle and nodded, "Yeah. You lent me your umbrella during the snow storm." The girl dug in her bag and pulled out a small umbrella and handed it to the man.

The couple had eventually agreed to go and share a lunch together and Jack smiled. "So that's how it works."

Jack looked back up to the sky and saw that Arianna had flown further off, heading back to the town where Jack had seen the cherub. He cast a glance back to the couple, seeing the red string that tethered the two together slowly fade. Jack left to follow Arianna.

Jack took a different way to head off Arianna; he had wanted to see more of her work. Flying with a gust of wind, he was carried off to the town where Arianna was headed. He had reached the town in a matter of minutes and glided over the rooftops, trying to catch a glimpse of the elusive Cupid.

"Where did she go?"

He wrapped around a tall building only to run face first into Arianna. Arianna shouted in surprise as she collided straight into Jack. Both of them had tumbled out of the air and crashed into the ground with Jack taking the brunt of the fall. They both groaned from the pain and Jack felt the weight lift off of his body; he saw that Arianna was sitting in front of him, rubbing her neck from the head on collision. The two were invisible to the eyes of the adults, but not to the eyes of the children, who stopped to see the commotion.

"Couldn't have found a better way to say hi?" Arianna asked.

Jack chuckled. He pushed himself off of the ground, "Sorry." He held out his hand to Arianna and she accepted it. He felt the warmth from her hand seep off of her skin and sink into his as he pulled her to her feet. Jack could still feel the heat even after he let go of her hand. Arianna's hand went to her head as she rubbed the bump forming there, the same place where Jack felt one forming on his head. He mimicked her movements and felt the lump.

"What are you doing here?" Arianna asked, after making sure there wasn't any real damage. "Shouldn't you be having snowball fights?"

"I would, but I thought that the kids would enjoy it more if they had an expert marksman to fight against," Jack said with a sly smile. He wiped up a snowball in his hand and held it out for Arianna.

Arianna looked down to the snowball and her smile seemed to have faded. Slowly, she shook her head and Jack felt disappointment sink in his chest.

"I can't, Jack. I still have some things I need to do-"

"Come on. It's only the beginning of February, you still have a long time to get your work done," Jack said brightly. At the corner of his eye, Jack saw a group of children playing in the snow. He smiled and turned to Arianna.

"Come on, you won't regret this," Jack stated. He grabbed Arianna's hand despite her protest and dragged her over to the children in the snow.

"N-no Jack, I really can't."

But Jack ignored her. Instead he called out to the children with a bright smile and let go of Arianna's hand to wave. The children turned to Jack and laughed as they eagerly ran over to greet him.

"You came to play with us Jack?"

"Yeah and I brought a friend with me," Jack added.

The children looked around Jack and up and down the street, "What friend?"  
Jack turned around to find that he was alone. "What?" Jack muttered to himself.

"Are you feeling ok, Jack?" one little girl asked as she tugged on his sleeve. Jack smiled and nodded. Jack crouched down so he was face to face with the small girl.

"Sorry, it looks like the friend I brought to play is a little shy. But maybe next time she'll be able to play with us."

"Can't you play with us, Jack?" another child asked.

Jack shook his head, "I can't now. I have to find my friend and make sure she's alright. But I will definitely be back and next time I do, I'll have my friend with me as well."

"Who's your friend?"

"Let's keep it a surprise for now. I'll see you guys around." Jack sprinted off through the town to try to find Arianna once more.

Arianna left with nothing more than a quiet whisper of the wind. The more she distanced herself from Jack and the kids, the more she felt herself at ease. Arianna landed softly on the roof of a house in a suburban neighborhood surrounded by trees. She let herself collapse into a sitting position, her hands rubbing the stress from her face and eyes.

"I didn't have time to play," Arianna told herself. "I told him that. And he knows I'm busy."

Despite her attempts at trying to convince herself that what she did was right, she felt a sense of regret; even though she was busy with her own work, there was a part of her that had wanted to play with everyone else and have some fun.

"No. I was right. No one else is going to do this work for me," Arianna declared as she found her feet again. As Arianna flared her wings, a single snowflake floated down in front of her eyes and it had halted her. She sighed.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jack asked. There was a hint of annoyance and hurt to his tone as he asked her.

"I'm just busy Jack. I don-"

"What is so busy about shooting arrows at people? It doesn't seem that hard of a job." Jack asked, this time with a touch of anger.

Arianna felt that rage and it had only stoked hers in return, "You don't know anything about what I have to do, Jack."

"Well you aren't really telling me what I'd like to know," Jack snapped.

"And what makes you think that you have the privilege to intrude into my personal affairs?"

Jack recoiled, but he quickly regained composure, "Because I thought that we were friends."

"Jack…" Arianna groaned, "We are friends, but from where I'm standing, you have pushed me into doing the things you want. You came into the Cove without so much as asking me if it was alright for you to come, you're following my cherubs and trying to pull me away from my job!"

"You didn't really seem to mind me coming to the Cove. If you had wanted me out, you should have said something, but why are you so worked up on this? It's not like your holiday is that important-"

Jack had tried to catch himself, but he was too late. He looked to Arianna and saw that her stern gaze suddenly became very tired, like she was exhausted and just wanted to lie down and sleep for a thousand years.

"You just answered your own question, Jack," Arianna replied in a quiet voice. "Unlike you, where children look forward to your snow days, I don't have that luxury. I have to put in my all during this holiday Jack."

"Why? Because you're afraid of disappearing or not being seen by children?" Jack asked. "I know that feeling, Arianna. I understand that. Being alone-"

Arianna shook her head. "I'm not afraid of being invisible to those kids Jack. Knowing my luck, I probably would have been if I stayed with you when you tried to get me to play the snowball fight with them."

"Then what is it?" Jack asked.

Arianna breathed a heavy sigh. "I haven't been at this job long, Jack, but Aethon had told me enough. Honestly, I don't have all the answers myself. If you want to find answers, that's the man you'll have to go and ask."

Jack digested that, but one question was on his mind. "Why haven't you asked?"

Arianna smirked and ran her hand through her hair, "Because-"

She stopped abruptly. Her skin became clammy, beads of sweat started to break out over her neck, chest, and face. She felt like the vast world around her suddenly did not have enough air. She fell to her knees as her hand gripped her chest, fighting for air. "No…not now!"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jack asked. His voice was high and tense with fear.

Jack placed his hand on Arianna's face; the cool air from Jack had cooled Arianna's skin, a small respite before the waves of pain racked against Arianna's chest. Her chest felt like it was splitting from the inside out; she gripped her chest, hoping to hold it together just through sheer force.

"Arianna let me know what I can do to help. What's going on? What do you need?" Jack said quickly.

"You can't help, Jack." Arianna said through gritted teeth. Without warning, Arianna flared her wings and swept herself into the sky.

"Wait! Arianna stop! I just want to help!" Jack shouted after her.

Arianna ignored him; all she could think about was flying. She had to fly, to get away from Jack so that he wouldn't see her in this state, and to fly away from the pain that devoured her from the inside.


	7. Chapter 6: A Smile in the Dark

**Chapter 6: A Smile in the Dark**

Arianna's heart pulsed in her chest, beating with pain as her wings strained to keep her in the sky. Everything felt heavy, like she was trying to carry a load of lead, but Arianna endured it. There was something that she had to see for herself. The palpitations in her chest became unbearable as she flew back to the city, pushing to find a place that was safe to land. A low building came into view and Arianna's body screamed in protest to the torture she was putting herself through; she had landed with a stumble, falling to her knees when she could finally let her body rest.

Arianna breathed heavily, gasping from the ordeal, but despite the heavy gasping and the ringing in her ears from the rush of blood leaving her head, Arianna could hear the distinct shouting and yelling from two people down on the street. Shaking, she pushed herself to her feet and staggered to the edge of the roof and looked over.

Three people were screaming and shouting, two women and a man. Arianna noticed the two of the people, because she had sent an arrow to both of them. What she did not see was that this man had already made a bond with another woman.

"What the hell are you doing?" the new woman shouted. "Who is this?"

"Look, it's not what it looks like," the man quickly said. "We're just classmates in the same class. We just had some lunch. It meant nothing."

Despite his attempts at trying to defuse a situation, Arianna felt the jagged edge of hurt and heart-break sink inside her chest. She cried out in agony, giving voice to the girl who stood on the sidelines who was the owner of those feelings. However, the girl smiled, hiding her pain from the other two.

"Y-yeah. It was just two classmates out to lunch. Really it didn't mean anything."

The girl departed the scene before it got worst, tears silently falling as she disappeared into the crowd. Arianna watched as the string that bound the two people together suddenly snapped and that had made the pain in her chest turn white-hot. Arianna bit her lip as she barely managed to cling to consciousness; her eyes faded to black and the sounds around her were fuzzy and distant. But she pulled herself back to the racket of the cars and crowds, but the effort had sapped the last bit of strength she held within her.

_I just need to lie down. I just need to rest. _Arianna slowly lowered herself down to a comfortable place to rest. _Just a few minutes to recover and I'll be back in the sky soon enough._ The hours faded into the background as Arianna drifted off to sleep. When Arianna woke back up, the sky had changed to a star strewed night. Arianna groaned from how sore her body felt, especially her chest. As she pushed herself off of the roof, she winced at how stiff her shoulder and thighs felt from sleeping on the roof.

"Great place to fall asleep, Ari," Arianna told herself as she worked the muscles out of their sleeping positions. "Guess I should head back to the Cove. Aethon will chew me out for not coming back after another episode."

Arianna stretched her wings, but they weren't ready to start another flight. She sighed and reached behind her back to feel that her bow and quiver were still there. There were a few arrows left, but looking down at them made her depressed.

_Aethon will have to wait. I don't have the will to go back to the Cove now._ Arianna took the stairs down to the street. With the number of people who still lingered on the street and how quiet it was, told her that it was late, which meant that most of the children were inside and asleep, and the adults that were still out would definitely not take notice to her, because they didn't believe in her. The thought left a mild sting, but she preferred it this way. She just needed time by herself to sort things out, to put her thoughts into perspective.

Arianna simply wandered the streets, not having any specific destination in mind. Her feet carried her through alleys, through nice neighborhoods and not so nice neighborhoods. Arianna didn't know how long she walked, her mind wasn't focused. When she finally brought her mind back to reality, she looked up to notice that she had walked clear out of the city limits to the suburbs, where forests had taken the place of steel and concrete buildings. The chill on the ground was more persistent in the woods, without having the steam billowing out of the manholes and subways, but the chill shied away from her footsteps. Arianna found that she could find peace while she walked through these woods; everything was quiet and she could just let go of everything without having people worry about her.

"Ok…let's look at this with a clear mind…there was definitely something there with those two, I saw it. Their hearts were in sync," Arianna said to herself. "But why didn't I see that his heart was already connected to someone else's heart?"

The forest gave her no answer and she sighed at the silence. Arianna pulled her bow off of her back and ran her fingers over the bowstring and wood. "Please...tell me what I'm doing wrong," Ari whispered to herself. "What do I have to do to stop myself from having these pains?"

The bowstring hummed and gave a faint glow as it warmed between her fingers, as if the bow was trying to reassure her with its warmth.

"Some help you are," Arianna growled.

A chilling laugh had broken the quiet stillness of the forest and Arianna felt a chill stroke her spine. Her eyes scanned the forest only to see now that the shadows of the trees made Arianna flinch and jump, making creatures and images dance before her eyes, and disappear without a trace.

"You won't find your answers in that, my dear."

Arianna turned to find who said that, but with no luck. The trees however became more sinister with each passing minute. The branches turned to gnarled hands that reached and clawed at her. Arianna fastened an arrow to her bow, readying herself.

"And what would you know about that?" Arianna hissed. The arrow turned hot as Arianna's fingers brushed the phoenix feather.

"I know more about you than you realize."

Arianna spun in circles, not wanting to move from her place. She searched the forest to find the person who was talking to her until Arianna suddenly came face to face with a pair of cold amber-colored eyes. She fell back away from the man, startled by his sudden appearance.

"Sorry, did I frighten you?" he asked with a soft voice.

"It's not what I would call a normal greeting," Arianna replied, only now did she realize that she aimed her arrow at the man's chest, her body poised and ready for an attack, despite the unease in her stomach.

"You're right. Forgive me," the man said, bowing to Arianna. "I did not intend to be so disrespectful on our first meeting. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Pitch. And you are?"

"Arianna."

"I'm pleased to meet you. And judging by your attire," Pitch said as his eyes observed Arianna's clothing, "You must be Cupid, if I'm not mistaken."

"What's it to you?" Arianna snapped.

"I see you have a temper. I was merely remarking on the last time I have met Cupid."

"We've never met," Arianna shot back.

"You're not the first Cupid I have met, my dear," Pitch replied in a silky voice.

Arianna felt herself lower her bow at that comment, "What do you mean by that?"

Pitch was taller than Arianna and the atmosphere around him was poison, but what had disturbed her more was that his heart did not have a warm, red flame like every living being on the planet that she has seen. His heart was empty, cold, and black. He was intimidating, but Arianna wanted to know what he had to say.

Pitch sighed; there was pity in his eyes and Arianna felt herself flare with rage, she did not need his pity. "They haven't told you about the others?"

"What others?" Arianna growled.

"Sweet girl, you were not the first one to be made into Cupid," Pitch stated.

"And how would you know?"

"Because I've been on this Earth far longer than you have, and I have seen enough Cupids to last me a life time, but each one I have seen have all succumbed to the same fate as the ones before them."

Arianna digested his words, but she lowered her bow and placed her arrow back into her quiver, "You're good at telling stories, but unfortunately, I don't have the time or the energy to listen to them." She turned and walked away from Pitch, this was the last thing that she needed now.

"Stories?" Pitch asked with a touch of hysterical laughter. "Tell me, do you feel pain when one of your arrows builds a bad connection with a couple?"

Arianna's feet froze to the spot as Pitch said that. How did he know that?

"Does your heart feel the same pain that a human feels? Does your heart ache when there is rejection, unrequited loves, and even break-ups?" Pitch asked as he stepped closer to Arianna. His eyes glistened with malice as he saw her hand slowly reach up to her chest.

Arianna looked to him, "How do you know that?"

"Is it really that hard to figure out?" Shadows from the trees slowly rose up and encircled Pitch and Arianna. The shadows started to take shape and form. "As the job entails, Cupid is to unite forlorn lovers who are destined to be with one another and that process is done by a simple arrow from Cupid's bow." A shadow version of a cherub firing an arrow into a black heart had danced in between Arianna and Pitch. "The humans are then forever bound to one another in eternal love, but where does Cupid get these arrows and how does Cupid unite them?"

The shadow Cupid lifted its hands to its chest and an arrow rose from the center of its torso. "Cupid's arrows originate from their master's own heart. That is the knot; the force that keeps the couple together. However, humans have become more fickle as they grow and change with each passing year. The human's hearts have grown weak, and it's not enough for Cupid's arrows to bond two people together anymore. Then when humans grow apart, they break Cupid's bond and with each broken bond, more people lose faith in love and with each arrow that is broken, it has an adverse effect on Cupid."

The shadow Cupid doubled over in pain and struggled to stay in the air, just like Arianna had experienced a few hours ago. But this Cupid slowly fell to the ground in a heap and faded into nothing.

"I shouldn't have to explain what happens if one too many of your arrows break, do I?" Pitch asked. The fear that had seeped from her was delicious. He breathed it in, feeling strength fill his muscles. _This is the source I have looked for_.

Arianna felt uncomfortable with what Pitch was saying and she didn't want to believe it, there was no way this was true. No one ever told her this. But his knowledge of her pain, no one else knew about it other than Aethon and the cherubs. At least that was what she thought. Who else knew about this? Why didn't anyone tell her? Her head swelled with questions that rammed inside her skull, leaving in their wake a searing headache.

"Are you alright? You look pale," Pitch said as he placed a hand on Arianna's cheek. He gently lifted her head so he could look into her eyes as he said in a soft and gentle voice, "How many arrows have you had broken?"

She felt her stomach dropped. "I…I don't know." She swallowed and asked Pitch. "How many arrows broke before…?" Arianna didn't have the will to finish her question, but Pitch knew what she was asking of him.

"10 was my last count, but it's different for every Cupid. Some faded from having just five broken."

Arianna trembled. Today was not her first day of dealing with this pain, but it had hurt more so than the last one. From her memory, this would be her third broken arrow. The other two happened when she had just started her job as Cupid. Aethon had ended up finding her on the ground unconscious and she always woke up back in the Cove. How many arrows would it take until she faded from this life?

A sudden explosion of frost and snow slammed into Pitch, his hand leaving a scratch on her cheek as he tumbled across the ground.

"Arianna, are you ok?"

She looked to see Jack by her side, his blue eyes searching hers.

"I-"

"She's terrified, Jack," Pitch interrupted Arianna. He pulled himself back to his feet as he looked to Jack. "You still haven't gotten out of that nasty habit of interfering I see."

Jack looked back to Arianna and could see the fear in her eyes, the way she held herself. He turned back to Pitch, eyes glaring, "What did you do to her?"

"I merely told her the truth, something that you and your Guardians are quiet fond of keeping from her."

"What are you talking about?" Jack questioned, his staff glowing.

Pitch smiled. "Not this time, Jack. I won't give you the answers you're looking for that easily." He turned back to Arianna. "If you still have doubts about what I say, all you have to do is ask those Guardians of yours and see where their loyalties really lie."

The shadows slowly enveloped Pitch, but Jack ran after him, "You're not getting away!"

But Pitch was already gone when the blast of cold from Jack's staff slipped through the shadows and froze the tree behind him. The forest didn't seem nearly as dark now that Pitch had disappeared, and Arianna could feel her body again. She walked over to a nearby tree and sat down at the base of it, Arianna needed to sit down, she needed to figure things out, but she was lost.

"Arianna."

She looked up to see Jack standing in front of her; she didn't have anything to say to him, or rather she couldn't find anything to say to him. She was so confused.

Instead of asking her questions, Jack took a seat beside her and just sat quietly with her, giving her the time she needed. After what felt like an eternity, Arianna drew a shaky breath.

"I don't understand any of this," Arianna said quietly. "I…I mean, I've been through that type of pain before, Aethon told me that was a high possibility, especially since I was new, but I didn't know that I wasn't the only Cupid. I didn't know that I could-"

Arianna's voice cracked as she struggled to keep herself together. Jack just listened to what Arianna said. He didn't have an answer that he could give her and he didn't know what to say that could comfort her, because that was something that he never been through.

"You got a scratch on your face," Jack said to break the tension and to draw Arianna away from those thoughts.

Arianna's eyes shimmered with tears as she looked to Jack and touched her face. She laughed weakly, "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Does it hurt?" Jack asked.

She shook her head. Jack placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled, "Don't worry. We'll figure this out, and I'll be there with you to help you out with anything you need."

She smirked at that, but tears had slowly started to break free and track down her cheeks. Jack's hand gripped his staff in frustration. Pitch was back and it seems that he chose his next target.

"Let's go talk to the others," Jack said as he stood up on his feet.

"What?"

"We need to tell them that Pitch is back," he said as he offered a hand to Arianna. "Besides, you can't trust anything that guy says. We're better off trying to find our answers from people we trust."

Arianna looked to his hand and turned away. "Can I trust them Jack?"

Jack frowned at that, but he knew that it wasn't entirely her fault for thinking that way. Pitch was good at putting doubt and fear into anyone he targeted. He crouched down so that he and Arianna were at the same eye level. Arianna looked up, the tears had stopped but her face was still wet.

Jack smiled softly, "Do you trust me?" He offered her his hand again and Arianna looked to it.

His smile broadened when Arianna slowly reached for his hand. He tightened his grip and pulled Arianna to her feet. A soft breeze began to blow and Arianna stretched her wings, they were starting to feel better after resting for so long.

"Time to call a meeting," Jack said. And with that, the two had taken flight into the night sky.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7: Measured Steps**

The current from Jack's wind guided the two through the air like fish caught in the stream's never-ending flow. The chill was starting to get to Arianna, and more than once did she have to rub her arms to banish the goose bumps that started to appear on her skin. Still though, the cold air wasn't enough to pull her mind away from what Pitch had told her. She didn't know the man, and she had no reason to believe in anything he told her. But something in her knew that what Pitch said was anything but lies. Pitch was able to describe in perfect detail of her troubles with people. It was as if he had gone through the same experience himself, but he couldn't have. Arianna saw into his heart and there was nothing to be found.

Now her head was starting to swell from the overwhelming confusion and questions that rammed inside her head.

"Hey!"

Arianna flinched from the sudden shout that had assailed her mind with even more pain. Jack was flying next to her now as he searched her face. "You ok?"

Arianna nodded. To be honest she wasn't much in the mood for talking at the moment. However, Jack pushed on.

"Have you ever been to North's workshop?"

"No. I can't say I have," Arianna replied. _I had always been slightly curious about it though. _

"Why? You're free to go and see the things you want to see right?" Jack asked. There was a long silence and Jack looked back at Arianna's face. What meant was supposed to be just a simple comment had uncovered the look of loneliness that Jack had seen before. Seeing that look had pained him, because he had shared that same feeling and it had brought up unpleasant memories that he'd rather forget.

"I was…I don't even know what I was. It wasn't as if I was barred from ever leaving the Cove. I had to go and do my rounds with my arrows. I even went to that party, but it was Aethon's suggestion that I be put in charge of security during that time," Arianna said quietly. "But I was not exactly denied to go and venture off, but I wasn't encouraged to do it either. Maybe, I was too afraid to go out and enjoy the world."

"Why would you be afraid?" Jack asked.

"You saw me today right? You saw how I acted. I only acted that way, because I had made a bad connection."

"A bad connection?"

"Whenever I unite people with these arrows, I'm able to see their heart's aura, its essence. When an essence comes into contact with a compatible essence, one that is truly made for the other, that is when I can fire my arrow and build a connection. However, it's only sound in theory, not so much in the real practice. Hearts have always been a difficult thing to understand, and as humans grow and change, their hearts only become that much harder to read. This leaves a large opening for bad connections to be made, and when hearts become filled with hate and sadness, the arrow breaks."

"Why does it break?"

"My arrows are only the bridge to the people's hearts, they only connect them. When people's hearts become filled with dark and negative feelings, it rots from the inside out and it falls apart."

"How does that affect you?"

Arianna breathed. "I won't say. That's only between Aethon and me."

Jack started to feel bothered with Aethon and what he was doing to Arianna. "Why do you let him tell you what to do?"

Arianna laughed. "I don't know myself. He's not a bad person; he's just…overly concerned about my well-being. To put it simply, he's just a mother hen. I can't really blame him; I'm the one that does this to me."

"Is the pain that bad?"

"You can't even imagine it. You'll never know the pain that the human heart is going through when it's inflicted on you tenfold," Arianna said.

Jack mulled that over, it was true. He never had to feel or even understand a human's heart the way that Arianna does. Such intricate things that can harbor so much joy and pain and constantly change from so many influences; it had to be an exhausting ordeal.

"So…you know a bit about me. Tell me more about this Pitch guy."

"Are you sure you want to hear this now?" Jack asked.

"No better time than the present. Besides, I'd like to be mentally prepared for what your friends have to say to me."

"They're your friends too, Arianna."

Arianna scoffed. "We'll see."

Jack understood Arianna's frustration, but he didn't want to push her to see that the Guardians really did have the best interest of everyone at heart. He wasn't even too sure if he could convince her to believe him, because he didn't know what the truth was himself. So he told Arianna all about Pitch, what he was, what he does, what he tried to do to the Guardians. Jack told her everything and she listened intently, only asking a few questions here and there. When Jack finished his story, Arianna asked another question.

"You said that the last time he had showed up was during the dark ages, other than the time he had tried to stamp out the Guardians. If it took him that long to regain his powers, then why did he come back sooner this time?" Arianna asked.

"I don't know and that worries me. We've been doing our best to keep fear from children all over the world, and we've been successful. I don't know how he had come back so quickly."

Jack looked up. The scenery had changed during their flight. The sun had risen and the earth below became more barren as the two flew North, turning into a snowy tundra. The snow sparkled almost to the point where Arianna had trouble seeing with the sun's glare that . The wind turned harsher and the cold drove to Arianna's bones, making her teeth chatter. She was starting to struggle to stay in the sky with her being blinded by the bright snow below, the glaring sun overhead and the frigid winds that made her wings cramp.

A hand slipped into Arianna's and she gripped it tight.

"Hold on, we're almost there," Jack said.

"Ok," Arianna shivered. For now, she'd let Jack be her guide to the workshop while she focused on staying in the sky and keeping warm.

Jack brought Arianna safely to North's workshop. As she was brought closer to the mountains, she could see the towers and small buildings that nestled in the mountainside, accessible only through snow and ice bridges, but her eyes fell to the largest of the building that stood tall and proud on the highest peak of the mountain. The windows glowed with a soft golden light and the smell of burning logs billowed out of the chimneys, there was also a subtle hint of baking cookies that mingled with the burning logs. The building promised so much warmth compared to the frigid air that howled through the mountains.

Jack and Arianna landed on the front steps and Jack didn't waste any time. He opened the door to the work shop and walked casually in. Arianna however hesitated, was it alright for him to do that? Was it even alright for her to walk in after him without even announcing herself? This was her first time here.

The wind moaned and caught Arianna. This time the air sunk to the very core of her bones, freezing the marrow of her bones. _I can worry about being yelled at later._ She ran in and closed the door behind her. The warmth was immediate and enveloped her in a soft cocoon, Arianna savored it.

Suddenly a large shadow loomed over her and she looked up to see a very tall and angry yeti bearing down on her. He started yelling and making large gestures, to which Arianna could not understand. She cringed and tried to explain herself, but Jack came to her rescue just as she was starting to look for a way out.

"Easy Phil, she's with me. Go tell North we're here, we'll be waiting in the room where the globe is."

The yeti began to protest again, but Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Come on."  
Arianna followed after Jack as he led the way further into the workshop. As they walked, Arianna looked around the workshop and was amazed with what she saw. There were hundreds of yeti and elves that maneuvered through the workshop with toys flying through the air and the craftsman ship of the real building itself. The tapestries of North and his workers, the artwork etched and painted into the wooden banisters and beams, to stone floors. It was gorgeous.

"First time here?"

Jack was watching her scramble all through the building to get a better look at everything and Arianna felt her face flush with embarrassment. He couldn't hide the smile on his face; this was the first time he saw her like this, and it was cute.

"It's ok. I was like that when I first came here too. Place is pretty amazing huh?"

"Yeah. It's nothing like I thought it would be."

"Wait until you see the sleigh. Come on; let's get you near a fire." He led Arianna through the workshop to the elevator that would take them to the globe.

He was sure to keep the yeti from stepping on both as they avoided stepping on the elves that scurried underneath their feet; Arianna laughed at the elves as they wobbled out of their way, and to hear her laugh, it made Jack smile. They reached the globe after successfully traversing through the workers and Arianna dashed to the hearth as soon as it came into view, leaving Jack behind. She immediately started to warm herself up, but not in the way Jack thought. He watched her as she reached into the hearth and a string of fire coiled around her arm. With her other hand, she guided the fire to swirl around her wings and the rest of her body before making it come to a small flame that simmered in the palm of her hand. She placed her palm against her chest and breathed deep, and Jack saw that when Arianna dropped her hand, the flame was gone. All that remained was a glowing bowstring that pulsed with light.

"Welcome back, Jack," North said as he headed into the room where Arianna and Jack were. The floor quaked slightly with each heavy step from North, but when North's eyes fell on Arianna, he smiled brightly. "I thought Phil was pulling leg but it seems he was right. Welcome Ari! Great to be seeing you."

"Nice to see you too, North," Arianna said. "I apologize for coming unannounced."

"Ah, no need to be formal, Ari; relax and enjoy time here, and I'll have elves bring in cookies and cocoa," North said, casting a glance to the herd of elves that swarmed his feet. They had left just as quickly as they had shown up. "So what brings you here?"

Arianna glanced to Jack and he nodded.

"We have a problem, North. Can you call a meeting?" Jack said.

"Of course, but why the sudden-"

"It's better to explain with everyone here," Jack reassured. North stared at Jack with a skeptical look, but he cast a glance to Arianna before making the call. He activated his Northern Lights and the light shimmered over the globe and climbed to the sky. As the three waited, the elves came in with cookies and the yeti came in with cocoa. Arianna and Jack each took a cup of cocoa and drank in the warm beverage as North set work on the cookies.

The three waited in awkward silence until the other three appeared. Tooth and Sandy came in through the open observatory hatch where the moon could be seen as Bunnymund hobbled in, rubbing his arms feverishly with his hands as he took a spot next to the fireplace. The three smiled warmly at Arianna and exchanged greetings with one another.

"Can we for once pick a place to hold our meetings where I don't freeze my feet off?" he growled as he took a cup of warm cocoa and downed it in one gulp.

"Sorry Bunny, but guests prefer cocoa and cookies more than eggs," North said lightly, receiving a glare from Bunnymund. "Besides, I did not call meeting this time."

"Who did?" Bunny asked and North gestured to Arianna and Jack.

"Ok, Jack. Now everyone's here, what did you have to say?" North said.

"Pitch is back," Jack said, not wasting any time. But that small phrase had made everyone in the room pale, save for Arianna.

"Are you sure, Jack?" Tooth asked.

"Would I be making this up?" Jack asked with an exasperated look. That question had seemed enough of an answer for Tooth.

"How do you know he's back mate? And is this something that she should be involved in?" Bunnymund asked as his eyes fell on Arianna.

"That's sort of the problem. She's already involved."

Sandy conjured up golden sand to make a question mark and Jack answered, "I think he's made Arianna a target."

"Why do you think that?" North questioned.

Jack started to relay what he had seen happened, from when Arianna left, to when he found Pitch cornering her. The Guardians digested this information as soon as Jack finished.

"He's back so soon? How is that possible?" Tooth asked.

"Why is he targeting Ari and not children? That is not like him," North stated.

"Hold on. I need to ask-" Arianna started to interrupt, but Bunnymund had talked over her.

"Does it matter? Pitch is back, and that means we need to stop him."

"Bunny, we need to figure out what his plan is before we start a full on attack," Tooth said.

"Wait, can I ask-"

"Waiting around isn't going to solve anything. The longer we wait the more powerful he gets."

"Hold on-"

"Bunny, we need to think. Charging in could be what he wants," North thought.

"Look, before you guys start I need to ask-"

"How long are we supposed to wait?" Bunny questioned.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Arianna finally shouted. The flames in the hearth roared, hissed and snapped, putting a stop to the Guardian's strategy meeting. "I need to ask you something."

"Can this wait, Arianna?" Tooth asked.

"No, it can't," Arianna snapped. She turned to the group and breathed deep before asking her question. "How many Cupids have died before I was made?"

The faces on the Guardians fell at that question and the room became heavy with silence. After a long and silent stare off, North stepped forward, "Why would you ask that?"

"Pitch told me that you were the ones to ask," Arianna replied coldly.

Sandy and Tooth looked nervous while Bunny and North stared at Arianna. "He told you?" North asked in disbelief.

"He gave me vague answers, but he knew enough about me which had brought up a cause of concern to me. I was hoping that you wouldn't."

They hesitated, Tooth even started to fidget with her fingers, but they all averted her gaze and that provoked a spark to flicker through Arianna's eyes. Jack had seen that spark before; it was the same spark that he saw at the party when they first met, except this one wasn't tempered. The fire in the hearth behind her hissed as she waited for an answer, but it wasn't given.

"So I guess that answers my question," Arianna spat as she turned away from the Guardians. Tooth flew to Arianna and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We weren't exactly sure how to tell you," she said softly.

"How about actually telling me? That would have been a good start," Arianna growled. Tooth pulled her hand away from Arianna's shoulder, like she was just burnt. Bunny came to Tooth's defense.

"Easy, Ari. You have to understand-"

"Understand what? Everyone here seems pretty set on keeping me in the dark. Funny thing about this, it doesn't affect you, it affects me! So stop avoiding the answers that I want to know, that I deserve to know!"

The room fell quiet once again; the only sound to be heard was the snapping of the logs in the fireplace and the workshop down below. North looked to Sandy and Sandy gave a slow nod; Jack simply watched. He was just as eager to know the answers that Arianna was looking for.

North nodded, "You're right. You have right to know."

"You aren't the first Cupid to be made," Bunnymund said.

"The first Cupid had a difficult time with his job as well, Arianna," Tooth added. "Finding people to fall in love…was never an easy task."

"People's belief in first Cupid was stronger in past. There is no question in that," North said. "But something had happened to him, and humans started to lose faith in love which made him weaker. And soon the humans had started to lose faith in love….and when…they lost faith…"

North seemed to have trouble getting out the last bit of his explanation, but Arianna closed her eyes. It was the answer she didn't want to hear, but needed to hear. It was the one that she had hoped was just a lie. She looked to Sandy who had decided to help North with his explanation. He conjured up a broken arrow and a broken heart above his head.

"He died," Arianna said.

The Guardians slowly nodded and with that, Arianna's hope had drained out of her. "Why does the Man in the Moon keep making Cupids if they die so easy?"

"There are people who still need protection Arianna," Tooth said softly. "Their hearts need to be protected just as much as their hope and faith. And just as their hope and their faith need to be rewarded, so does their love?"

"Does it?"

"Arianna-" Tooth started, her voice shrunk to almost a whisper.

"No. It's easy for you to say that. It's easy for all of you to say that. Your _investment _is more secure than mine! You don't have to go through the ordeals that I go through."

"Now wait a second," Bunnymund started, getting agitated. "That's not fair to say-"

"Isn't it? Tell me, how does it feel when you aren't believed in? Uncomfortable, tired, weak?" Arianna asked in a steady tone. Bunny didn't respond, but she continued. "Does anyone remember the pain of a broken heart, of rejection? How you feel like you could die from the pain? That pain is delivered back to me tenfold, with the added negative effects of not being believed in, and I go through this every single day. I relive that experience with every broken arrow. And only now I'm told that I could actually die from this?! And they die out a lot faster than anyone of you here!"

Arianna trembled, and her eyes started to turn red, threatening to overflow with tears. The look on their faces had infuriated her; there was pity in the Guardian's eyes. If they had truly felt so bad for her, they would have told her what would have happened to her. If they were really concerned for her, then why didn't they just tell her? Why did she have to find out the truth from someone like Pitch? Did anyone really care or did they just think that it was just an everyday occurrence and that maybe the next Cupid would get things right?

"Maybe, we should focus on Pitch, now," Jack suggested. The room became incredibly tense. Even breathing seemed to take more effort than it should.

"Good idea, Jack. Ari, if you like, you can stay in office, and take time to sort things out," North suggested.

"No thanks."

She turned on the spot and with a quick snap of her fingers, the fireplace created a portal and she didn't bother to cast a glance back to the friends that were left behind, she just stepped through the fire and disappeared. The portal of fire closed as soon as she was in, and the room felt incredibly cold, even to Jack.


	9. Chapter 8: Ripples

**Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait. Not going to put too much in here, because I want to get started on Chapter 9. Just want to say that there is a quote I used from Edward Fitzgerald and I wasn't sure how Fanfiction deals with quotes from other authors so just putting out there and citing who said it. **

**Thanks for you patience! Hope you enjoy!**

*******Fitzgerald, Edward. **_The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. **LXXI**_

**Chapter 8: Ripples**

"Shouldn't we have stopped her?" Jack asked as the raging flames calmed inside the hearth.

"What else was there to say?" Tooth said in a solemn voice.

"She wanted to hear the truth, it'll take some time before she can accept it," Bunnymund added.

"It wasn't right to hide it from her though. And to hear it come from Pitch and not from us, she probably feels betrayed," Tooth responded.

"The milk has been spilt," North finally said, putting a stop to the rising argument. "It's better to put our efforts into finding Pitch."

North started to discuss strategies with everyone, conferring the different ways Pitch could be stopped with minimal damage to themselves, while they also tried to figure out why he was suddenly interested in Arianna. However, not everyone was exactly present at the meeting.

Jack was more focused on Arianna's safety and not the hunt for Pitch. The Guardians would not consider it wise to be near Arianna because of the recent events that Pitch had set into motion. Plus, being around an angry Arianna at this moment could turn into a very volatile situation, especially for the Guardians.

Looking at it from that perspective, it was probably best to stay away from Arianna, but despite those reasonable thoughts, Jack couldn't agree with the Guardians. True, Pitch needed to be found and stopped, but Arianna was suffering and right now she needed a friend.

Jack cast his eyes up to the others; they were still in deep conversation and they were too busy to notice that Jack wasn't listening to the plan. Quietly, Jack backed up against the bannister and waited, making sure that they weren't watching, and leaned back.

The floor fell away from Jack's feet and he tumbled over the bannister with as little noise as possible. As he fell, Jack twirled his staff with his fingers and a small gust of wind entered through the open windows, and it was enough for Jack to glide on the air and land on the lower level with a soft thud. If he knew where he could find the Cove, he'd fly there, but seeing that he didn't, Jack would have to resort to other means of transportation.

In front of Jack stood the oak door to North's office and he wasted no time slipping inside. Being in North's office without him knowing was probably going to get Jack a lecture and maybe a few good glares, but now he didn't really care.

"Snow globes, snow globes. Where does the big man keep the globes?" Jack scurried around and scoured the room, careful not to knock anything off or make a lot of noise in the office; which was going to prove a feat by itself with all the books and knickknacks that cluttered the shelves. After another search of the office for the fifth time, Jack was starting to feel the fringes of frustration take a toll on his patience.

"Where does he keep those stupid things-" muttered Jack, when his toe slammed into a very hard object. Biting his lip, Jack resisted the urge to let loose a torrent of obscenities when he looked down and noticed a locked trunk at his feet. Through his first inspection of the office, Jack disregarded the chest, he thought it was a place to keep fire wood or something, but why would North lock it? It wasn't as if North was trying to keep the yetis or elves out of his own personal stash of wood…unless that's what North actually had in mind.

"Only one way to find out." Jack tapped the lock and frost bloomed over the iron surface, slowly building until the lock became encased in a crystalline shell of ice, and with a quick smack of his staff the lock shattered. With the chest unlocked, Jack flipped open the lid to see the snow globes nestled inside; the glass sparkled and glittered as the fire's light flickered on the orbs. He scooped up one orb and observed the metallic paint on the globe and the contents of the swirling snow inside. North wouldn't miss one snow globe, Jack thought. He passed the glass ball back and forth between his hands, hoping to find a clue or note on the item, but all the snow globe did was slosh the snowflakes back and forth with each motion he made.

"….How does he work these things again?"

Jack shook the glass orb, but the snow only settled back to its original position. He shook it again, this time a little more vigorously, but nothing changed.

"A little girl is able to use you, but no, when a Guardian needs to use you to actually do something good, you decide to take the day off," Jack growled at the object. "Just get me to the Cove, you stupid-"

Suddenly, the globe started to vibrate and the snow inside jumped and sparked. The snow started to mold and form a miniature Cove inside, with a perfect scaled down version of the trees and the shore. The globe suddenly cracked and became hot in Jack's hands, making him drop the orb in surprise. The glass shattered and disappeared as a rainbow of color and light sprung free and started to rip the atmosphere apart with a strong gale. The color started to form a small portal and the wind surged inside, pushing Jack closer to the hole. Inside, Jack saw an endless tunnel of light, and he didn't see through to the other side. He hesitated, he never went through the globe by himself. What if he needed North? What if he got caught in between the passage and got stuck there forever. He didn't have the choice in the matter, the wind gave another sudden push and Jack toppled inside the portal. Unknown to Jack, his sudden disappearance had not been a secret.

* * *

North had watched Jack slip off of the banister and slip into his room. The light slowly faded from North's office and he smirked as the last spark diminished; Jack wasn't in the North Pole anymore.

"Now, Jack we need you too…Jack? Jack!" Tooth called.

She buzzed about as Bunny and Sandy looked around the shop to try to find him, only to return with no luck. North smiled and turned away from the railing.

"He's gone, Tooth."

"What? Now? Why would he leave?" Bunny snapped.

"He went to the Cove," North stated.

Sandy made a question mark above his head and North answered, "He's gone to see Ari."

"But, we told him that wasn't a good idea," Tooth replied.

"We did," North agreed.

"But Pitch is still out there," Bunny added.

"And he knows this."

"But-" North held a hand up to silence Bunnymund from saying anything further. "He knows this, but still he goes to Ari. Can you think of why?"

The three fell silent and looked to one another but North continued. "Maybe, it's best this way. Ari is still being targeted by Pitch, no? Where do you think he will most likely show up?"  
"If that's true, than Jack needs help," Bunny shouted.

"Jack needing help?" North laughed. "He'll be fine. But, don't worry, Tooth," North saw the worry in Tooth's eyes. "We'll be there if Jack or Ari needs us, but that isn't what Ari needs. We give them some time to talk before making our way to the Cove."

With nothing left to say, North left the group, but Tooth, Bunny and Sandy were not reassured. But even as North walked away with his head held high with confidence, he too had some worry about not going to the Cove right away, but heading to Ari's home would not have made the situation any better. The only person she trusted the most was probably Jack, and for now, they would have to trust in Jack as well.

* * *

Jack fell head first on soft green grass, unfortunately, that didn't soften the sharp blow to his head. He groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position and scrubbed his head from the pain. Once the pain subsided, the sound of trickling water over rocks reached Jack's ears and he looked up to see he wasn't alone. Someone else was there, and they were kneeling at the edge of the river's bank. It wasn't Arianna, which means that there was only one other person it could be.

"Seems you can't keep your nose out of other people's business," the person said in a disgruntled voice.

"Nice to see you too, Aethon."

Aethon rose from the river and Jack stifled a laugh when he saw Aethon nursing a swollen shut-eye that was slowly turning purple. He didn't have any malicious feelings towards Aethon, but he couldn't exactly feel sorry for him either. Not after his attempts at stamping out any freedom Arianna had any hope of having.

"Guessing you heard?"

"Pretty loud and clear. My ears are still ringing from her shouting at me," Aethon mumbled.

"Can you really blame her?"

Aethon's good eye burned with fury at that comment. "If there's one thing I don't need, it's someone like you lecturing me. You may not have approved of my methods, but I kept her safe up until she met you."

"Keeping her safe? The only time I have ever seen her outside of this place was for that party and for her job, other than that you kept her hidden here. You've pushed some much guilt and fear on her, she was too scared to go and see things for herself."

Aethon slowly nodded in agreement, but Jack knew he was doing it to be condescending. "You could be right. Perhaps I have done those things. But I have to wonder if she would be in the current predicament if she hadn't met you."

Jack felt himself fume with that last comment, but Aethon didn't give him a chance to argue.

"You don't know anything about me, Jack. Where were you when her unions rotted away? Have you ever sat by her side as the pain ate away at her? Have you spent sleepless nights, worried about her well-being, wondering if she would come back home or if she would wake after a failed union?

"I was out looking for her every time she failed to join two people. And every time, I found her when she was wracked with pain, to the point where she was barely conscious and had to take to bed for days at a time. I was there to help her recover, to make her better and to make her stronger so that the next time that situation happened, she would be able to withstand the pain and carry on. What you call guilt, I call guidance. I pushed her so that she could endure the hardships that came from being Cupid.

You have no idea, Jack. Arianna isn't the first Cupid I had to tend to when they had fallen, but I want her to be the last. I had to tend to so many cupids, I've had to watch so many friends die in agony despite all the help I've given them. You have no idea what's it's like for me; to be only as helpful as the person on the sideline, giving them words of support and criticism and being there to wrap their wounds."

I cautioned her about the world out there and how difficult being Cupid is, but I prepared her for what was to come. You listen to her, but tell me Jack, what exactly have you done or said that has made her job any easier?"

"I helped her have fun, I gave her something to actually look forward to."

"And did that stop her from having pain? Did that stop the couples from breaking up or experiencing heart-break?  
"W-well no."

"Did that stop Pitch from targeting her? Did that stop her from finding out about how fragile her life is?"

Jack didn't have an answer for that. What exactly had he done for Arianna besides distracting her from what she needed to focus on? Aethon had more experience from this and learning about Aethon's past had halted Jack's early arguments and now, he wasn't sure if he knew what was best for Arianna. He had only met her, and he didn't know anything about her dreams or what she wanted out of life, but there was one thing that he did know.

Arianna was alone, though she didn't say it out loud, she was lonely, and when she had fun, she truly enjoyed it. There was no faking the smile on her face or the joy that shone in her eyes. Jack turned and walked away from Aethon.

"Hey, where are you going?"  
"I'm going to find Arianna."

"Haven't you caused enough problems for her?" Aethon spat.

Jack laughed, "Maybe. She may not even want to see me. But still, I think it would be best if she wasn't left alone. But before I go, I should thank you for what you told me."

"What I told you?"

"After what you said, I can't say you haven't done anything for her, but now I know that what she needs is someone who doesn't see her as Cupid. She needs a friend, and I'm not sure that's something you can do at this time."

Aethon faltered and Jack could see he didn't have anything else to say. With the silence between the two, Jack left Aethon by the stream to start his search for Arianna. He checked in all the usual spots, but she wasn't there; Jack had even searched in areas where he had never been before, but still no sign of Arianna. Jack had even brought it upon himself to start shaking trees to see if Arianna was hiding there, at the cost of upsetting many animals that lived in them. He was getting ready to head down to the beach and start his search there, when a cherub emerged out of the bushes a few feet away.

The cherub had curly bright orange hair that almost looked like the color of peaches, his skin was milky white, and he hard large green eyes. Those eyes seemed bigger since they landed on Jack.

"Hey. Do you know where Arianna is?"

The cherub slowly looked around to see if anyone or anything was watching. When he was sure that he was safe, he nodded his head and flew over to Jack. His green eyes searched Jack's as he hovered in front of him. "Why do you want to know where she is?"

Jack was taken aback, "You guys can talk?"  
"Yes."

"Well…why haven't you talked to me before?"

"Arianna found you annoying. We didn't feel it was worth the time to talk to you."

Jack felt his anger spike, "On second thought, keep your thoughts to yourselves. Look, I just need to find Arianna. She is…well…she's not in a good place right now."

"What do you mean?" the cherub asked.

Jack tried to think of the best way to explain to the cherub the predicament without causing alarm, but none came to him. So he just told the truth. "I mean, she's in trouble, and she needs someone to help her. So I need to find her so I can watch her back, make sure she doesn't get hurt."

The cherub stared at Jack. He was clearly skeptical towards him and thought hard on what Jack said, but he agreed to help. "Follow me."

The cherub took to the clear blue skies and Jack pursued, keeping close to his small guide.

* * *

The roar of blood pounded in her ears and her heart rammed hard in her chest, but Arianna flew fast and hard, escaping the Cove. She flew for what seemed like days, but in reality were mere hours, but her anger made time seem to crawl. There was one place where she could find solace, a place where no one would see her at her weakest. She flew over a sea of trees and stopped at a small grove of young trees. Suddenly Arianna letting her wings relax and her body fell; the howling wind screaming as the earth raced to catch her. Arianna fell through the canopy and her body withstood the sting and cuts of the tree branches and twigs as she let gravity pull her down to the forest floor. She landed on her feet, but her legs took the brunt of the land and pain flared all the way to her bones. She grunted, swallowing the cry of pain that threatened to burst from her throat, leaving trails of fire as she tried to contain the scream.

Arianna panted as sweat beaded down her face and back. The muscles in her wings and legs burned with ache, but she didn't care. She rose, not giving herself time to recover, not allowing her body rest. There just needed to be something to distract her from the pain in her chest, the dull ache of heart break and rage, and the headache that was starting to make her head swell and pound in agony. The memories were like open sores in her mind, and she just wanted them gone.

Among the screams in her anatomy, a tiny voice had broken through and reached Arianna. _Just breathe_.

She didn't want to, she wanted to rage, she wanted to scream, but her voice was dry and raspy from her yelling at Aethon earlier; her hand was still red and pulsing slightly from the punch she gave him. Despite her stubbornness, she did what the voice said. She sat down and crossed her legs, and took a deep breath. At first, her rage rioted, and burned hotter in her chest, but she took another deep breath and exhaled. She opened her eyes just in time to see flakes of ember rise out of her mouth and float in the air before dying out and turning into black ash. She breathed again and again; with each breath she took, the rage in her chest settled and her mind started to clear and the aches and pains in her body became more clear as Arianna's adrenaline stopped coursing through her veins.

However, once the hate and anger gave way, the heart ache grew and tears came to her eyes. Arianna crammed her hands in her eyes and tried to stem the flow of tears, but it didn't help and she gave in, utterly defeated; she sobbed and screamed at how weak she is, how angry and hurt she still felt from what she discovered. Despite the breathing exercises, the memories were still grappled on her and there wasn't anything that she could do about it now, but this time, Arianna was going to be selfish. She didn't care if she bawled like a baby or acted like a child, she was going to do what she wanted, because no one else would.

The woods were quiet except for Arianna's cries, and as the hours passed, that too had started to subside into quiet sobs. Eventually, Arianna lie down on the ground and just blinked away tears; she had exhausted every part of her being.

As the tears dried on her face, she looked around the woods. Old rock foundations of different sizes littered the forest floor.

_Time has done a number on this place._

There were a few foundations that still had pieces of the former building still attached to it, but vines, weeds, and moss were slowly taking over the rotting wood. Old dirt paths were completely covered with soft grass, and debris from the surrounding trees. There was even a collapsed well in the distance, which probably only held a broken bucket, frayed rope, and what rain water that collected inside during the seasonal storms. The tiny voice whispered to Arianna after a long time of utter silence.

_Come on, enough sulking. Time to get up_.

Arianna groaned, she didn't want to move, but she forced herself too. A part of her was ready to stop feeling sorry for herself, and she agreed. There wasn't anything to be done about what happened now, what was that saying?

_*The moving finger writes; and, having writ, moves on: nor all your piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it._

The past is the past, and nothing can change that. But, no one said anything about visiting the past. Arianna looked around the old foundations and walked slowly through the clutter of fallen houses. An old town, lost in time and forgotten from memory. The forest's scent couldn't block out the old smells that Arianna had once smelled a long time ago. The smell of burning wood, baking bread, cooked meat, the smell of fresh hay. Even the sounds had started to return to Arianna, like a distant and far off song; the clang of metal, the hiss of hot metal piercing a cold tub of water, the neighing of horses, the laughter of children, the gossip of adults, the clucking of chickens, the ringing of church bells and choir singing their songs. The fallen buildings had started to rebuild before her eyes as she saw ghosts of the past walk around her. Through sheer memory, the town had come to life again, but it was only a memory and none of the old faces would see her.

Arianna gave a dry bark; how was it any different from what she experiences now? The only real difference is instead of being a ghost to her memories, she was ghost in the living world as well and only a select few were able to see her. Still, at one time, these memories had once seen her, they had conversed with her, laughed with her, worked with her, some had even cried with her.

"Welcome home," Arianna muttered, with a soft and sad smile.


	10. Chapter 9: Ensnared

**Chapter 9: Ensnared**

This place was in the beginning stages of being made into a prosperous town. There were so many ideas and plans for every family that had decided to join themselves with the settlement. What Arianna now walked through was the main street where all the people would find the general stores that would give the services they would need. Each family that didn't have a shop on the main street owned small farms that provided the town with food for the time being. After every house, store, or barn that was finished, a feast followed close behind. But it was more than just a job well done feast. The town celebrated their achievements; everyone's dreams were starting to come to fruition.

Being the only daughter, she had more responsibilities than others. Not only did she have to help her mother clean the house and prepare the food, she also went hunting and trapping with her father. She learned how to tan animal skins and stalk an animal's track until she could find it and kill it in a clean shot. But being born in such a small town and seeing the same thing day in and day out got very tiresome. However, when there was down time, Arianna found enough trouble for her and her best friend to get into while they were growing up; enough so that the village never stayed quiet for more than a few hours.

Abigail, Arianna's best friend, was as sharp as anyone in the town. She was quick to solve a problem that Arianna made and she gave advice to the townsfolk when they needed it. If Abigail was the brain, then Arianna was the brawn. She liked to take on challenges, and loved to prove her speed and strength to the boys. Although there were some bitter defeats, Arianna was the victor in most of the tasks that were given to her.

The years passed and Arianna and Abigail were content. Never did Arianna think that they would ever find a disagreement. But like everything else, life loved to show her how wrong she was. Once the two girls reached the age of 18, the boys had started to court and try to win their hearts, which the girls had all but turned down. The boys were fine, and some had even became handsome, but they had no wish to leave their thriving village, but the two girls did, and because of this, the suitors had their hearts broken, but not their determination.

Over the years, the town was starting to get a good deal of reputation. It expanded into a popular town hidden away in the forest. The soil was rich and good, which drew in more farmers to grow their livestock and their harvest. Soon the butchers, bakers and blacksmiths came to make a profitable and comfortable life here. With cured meats, baked bread, and a place to make and repair metal, there was nothing the village lacked.

The ideal job for the women was to run the general store, or to work at the bakers. Abigail became an apprentice in baking, but Arianna didn't want that job. She didn't care for cooking, and mostly because she wasn't good at it. Arianna had burned bread until it turned black like charcoal. No, Arianna had her heart set on the blacksmith apprenticeship. She loved the hiss of a hot piece of metal immersed in cold water, the sparks and the heat that came from the forge, the metal singing as the hammer struck it, forming into whatever the creator had wished of it. With Arianna's talents, this job was tailor-made for her.

She fought with the blacksmith and begged for him to make her an apprentice. After years of pestering him day and night, the blacksmith finally gave into Arianna and allowed her to work in his forge, and Arianna loved every minute of it.

One of their best buyers was a man, about the age of 20. He used the wood to create beautiful furniture for the people who lived in the city, and he came in to order tools and pieces of metal for his furniture. Arianna lost her breath every time he entered the store and flashed a stunning smile to her. The man's name was Derrick; His eyes were soft and gray like a summer storm, his hair a dark chocolate-brown, and with tan skin from working outside and bulging muscles from chopping lumber, he was able to make Arianna stutter and mumble when he spoke to her and flashed her a brilliant smile.

After taking the blacksmithing job, none of the boys in the town were quiet happy with her and had even started to shun her. They put all of their attention on Abigail, who has been busy with being the object of desire for the men in the village. But Abigail never forgot her friend, she always stopped by with bread and cheese for Arianna and they would share lunch together.

But soon, even that had started to become a rare event. Abigail only seemed to show up on days Derrick came, and when she did show up, Abigail would barely notice her best friend.

As she walked through her memories, Arianna came upon the small brook and the remains of the black smith shop, and the memory had started to sting. There was a small cherry tree that grew on the bank and it was Arianna's favorite spot to sit and relax after she finished her work. It was also the place where Derrick told her that he had wanted her as his wife. After years of working together, they had grown close, and Derrick didn't care about the muscles she developed from working at the forge or at how well she could do "men's work". He could still see that she her for who and what she was, and that all she wanted was to love and be loved and accepted for what she did. The entire town rejoiced at Derrick's proposal. All, except her best friend.

Jack and the cherub flew far away from the Cove, across the endless expanse of sea until they reached land, and even then they didn't stop. They passed the clustered buildings that dotted the beach, the suburbs that were further inland, until they reached a mountain that was covered with trees and had no visible sign of life, except for a particular spot. A steeple stood out among the green canopy like a thorn in the side of a mountain. It looked so out of place among the wilderness; the wood had rotted out on most of it and gaping holes dotted it.

The cherub pointed toward the steeple, "She'll be there."

"Aren't you coming?" Jack asked.

"No. I don't belong here. This place…it's special to Arianna, and I have no business intruding on her sanctuary."

"But I'm alright?"

"You're different," the cherub said. He turned back in the direction to the Cove. "Good luck."

The cherub left Jack and returned to the skies, heading back home. Jack questioned whether the little guy would make it back, it was a long flight and getting here seemed to exhaust him. But there was no point in chasing after him, if the cherub thought he could make it back home in one trip, then it was his decision.

Jack descended down until his feet touched the cold earth. An overcast was starting to set in and the air became heavy and the wind became colder. The promise of winter rain was clear. Jack hurried his steps as he searched the area. Jack saw the fallen foundations and rotting wood from forgotten buildings, paths that were becoming overgrown with grass and weeds. Jack had no idea where to start, so he wandered around and searched the old ruins for any sign of Arianna. For a while, his search had proved pointless and he was even considering giving up, but finally his luck had turned around.

Jack stumbled upon the brook and the former blacksmith forge, and he found a dead cherry tree with a sleeping Arianna at its base. Relief and joy flooded his body, she was safe and she was well. Jack sprinted over to her to see that she wasn't entirely uninjured, but a few scratches wouldn't have killed her. He even saw her eyes still puffy and her cheeks dried with tear tracks, but whatever mood she was in, she was certainly at peace now.

She slept soundly and her breathing was at an even and relaxed pace. There was a part of Jack that felt bad for disturbing her sleep, but prolonging their stay would have put both of them at risk.

"Hey, Arianna. Wake up." She groaned in agitation and turned away from Jack's prodding, but Jack gently grabbed her shoulder and shook her a little harder until her eyes finally opened.

"What are you doing here?" Arianna croaked.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that? Strange place to come and fall asleep at."

Arianna snorted in derision, "Why were you looking for me?"

"Why? Did you forget that Pitch is out there looking for you? Storming off by yourself wasn't exactly a smart plan."

Arianna turned away from Jack, "I'm not concerned about it. He won't find me here."

Jack breathed deeply, trying to vent out his frustration, "Don't underestimate him, Arianna. Acting brave-"

"Who said I was acting?" Arianna asked. Her voice dripped with venom and Jack recoiled.

The silence between the two had grown incredibly uncomfortable. Jack didn't like the hostility that Arianna was giving to him. All Jack wanted was to help her, but Arianna was in no mood to deal with lectures and warnings. That was all that she dealt with from the time she became Cupid.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way," Jack said sincerely. "Do you mind if I take a seat next to you?"

The tension in Arianna's shoulders relaxed. "It's not like I can run you off. Any fireball I shoot at you, you'll just snuff out with your snow."

Jack laughed, "I suppose so." Cautiously, he took a seat next to Arianna and looked around the woods. "So what is this place?"

"A former village that has been lost to time and forgotten from memory. I'm surprised to see this much of it still left."

"This…this place was where you used to live? When you were human?" Jack asked.

She nodded. "No matter how much I hate this place, I can't stop myself from coming back here."

Jack felt some envy at that. "Why do you come back here if this place makes you feel this way?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm sick. Maybe I feel like I deserve all the bad that's happening to me now."

"Why do you say that?"

Arianna gave a sad smile, "I was selfish. I grew up here with my best friend. We were inseparable and we liked almost all the same things. As we got older, the things we had in common started to lose to what we wanted for ourselves. She liked baking, I liked jobs that were for men at the time. And after sticking with me through all the trouble I dragged her into, I took the one thing that she wanted. One man asked for my hand in marriage. But it was the same man that Abigail had fallen in love with."

Arianna gave a dry bark of laughter. "The worst part was. I didn't mean to do it, but at the same time, I didn't want to give him up. She had a whole town of men she could have chosen, but she wanted the one person who could accept me for what I was."

"What happened?"

Arianna's face fell. "Abigail confronted me a few weeks after Derrick proposed to me. She wanted me to break up with him. Apparently I was the last resort after all her other attempts at trying to convince Derrick that she was the better woman. I told her that I wasn't going to give up Derrick. After I told her that, she became very upset and told me about all the things that I drug her into and she got us out of. That after all the years I brought her grief, she was the one who deserved to have Derrick. Abigail was never good at trying to use force. I was the one that was good at that. So I told her no again.

Then she told me that Derrick was only infatuated with me. He wasn't really in love, he was just amazed at how a woman could really act like a man. I was an anomaly, a freak of nature. That struck me hard. It was bad enough to hear that from other people in the village, but to hear it from her, that was something I couldn't handle. I told her to leave and to not come near me or Derrick again."

"I'm guessing she didn't like that."

Arianna turned to Jack and shook her head. "Nope. The next day, she locked me in the blacksmith shop and set it on fire. If she wanted Derrick, she was going to have to kill me."

Jack felt the air leave his lungs. "She tried to kill you?"

"Several times. But the day she finally succeeded in it, was the day I told Derrick to leave."

"You broke up with him? Why? He wanted to be with you, didn't he? Why did you let him go?"

"At first, I didn't want to, but Abigail was getting crazier with her murder schemes, and I couldn't have her arrested, even with Derrick supporting me. No one wanted to believe that one of their own would lower herself to murder. Some just wrote it off as jealousy, and they thought that it would pass. Others just didn't believe me. All of Abigail's murder attempts were clever; she made each one look like an accident. The only thing that I could have done to spare Derrick the torment and to protect him from getting hurt or killed in the wake of Abigail's wrath was to chase him off."

"So why didn't she stop?"

"I was still too much of a threat. She wanted to make sure that Derrick only had her as an option. So she had the building set on fire and had the doors locked so that I couldn't get out." Arianna paused and Jack knew that she was reminiscing her death. Where his was as simple as just falling asleep, hers was a nightmare. Screaming for help, choking on the smoke, the heat and flames growing closer to her like a pack of ravenous wolves. Jack shuddered at the mere thought of it, to actually live through it and to have memories of it; Jack didn't know how Arianna could live with it.

"The next time I woke up, I had these on my back and no one could see me." Arianna jerked a thumb to her wings. "At first, I thought I became an angel or something, until Aethon came and found me. The Man on the Moon pointed him in my direction and Aethon told me all about why I was chosen and what I was meant to do. My life took off as Cupid then after that."

Jack waited for Arianna to gather herself before he spoke. Once the shaking in her shoulders stopped, he asked Arianna a question. "It wasn't just Aethon who kept you away from others, was it? You didn't want to repeat your past, so you felt safer keeping away from others. You did what Aethon said, because it was easier to not rely on yourself."

Arianna looked to Jack. At first there was surprise in her eyes, and then there was realization. "I suppose I was. The Man on the Moon picked a pretty pathetic person to take on the role as Cupid, didn't he?"

Jack stood abruptly on his feet. "You're not pathetic," Jack growled. "You gave up someone you really cared for, because you wanted them safe. You didn't attack or retaliate against your friend when you had every reason and right to. You showed compassion to the person who in the end took your life. Despite all those things, you still show compassion and continue to do what you can for others. You fight through all the bad memories and the pains you have to carry as Cupid, but you still manage to pick yourself up and start again. That isn't someone who I would call pathetic."

Arianna's face flushed at Jack's words and even he started to feel his own face burn from embarrassment; what Jack said though was true and he admired her for that. She turned away, hiding her smile with her hand.

"You sound like a boy in love," Arianna chuckled.

Jack's stomach knotted up and his face burned a darker shade of red. He wanted to protest, but his tongue felt swollen and the words grappled in his throat.

"Thank you, Jack."

"F-for what?"  
Arianna turned and smiled brightly at him. "What you said, it cheered me up. I never saw myself like that. It's nice to hear a second opinion."

Jack smiled back, hoping the flush on his cheeks had faded, "Y-you don't have to thank me for anything. All I did was say the truth."

Arianna opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped abruptly. He was about to question, but as he observed his surroundings, he noticed the world had grown still. The sun had set and the clouds had changed from a foggy gray to a dark violet. With the light now gone, the tree lines had become heavy with shadows and multiple yellow eyes peered out of the veil. A quiet rumble shifted through the air; the eyes peeled away from the forest, and took the shape of ravenous wolves.

Words didn't need to be exchanged between Jack or Arianna. She fastened an arrow on her bow as she closed the distant between her and Jack. The wolves cautiously circled around the two, barring their black teeth and growling at them. They backed away from the encroaching force, but as she shifted her feet, a second team had circled from behind and a wolf snapped at Arianna. She shouted in surprise and fired and arrow in the middle of the wolf's skull; it howled in agony as the flames engulfed it, but as soon as the shadow wolf died, another quickly replaced its fallen pack mate. Jack turned to see that their escape was blocked; they were completely encircled.

"Careful where you step Jack. This group is a tad high-strung."

Pitch stepped out of the tree line and stood behind his army of wolves, smiling at Arianna. "It's good to see you again."

"Is this what you'd call a welcoming party?" she questioned.

"What, don't they look familiar too you?"

"Can't say that they do."

Pitch laughed, "I suppose I did shape them into a different form. I must say though, Arianna, your fear has more raw power than children around the world. With such a sad past, and such a sad future; it's a rush of terror I haven't felt in years."

"You're saying these all came from my fear?" Arianna questioned.

Pitch made a gesture to one of his canines. Arianna looked to a wolf and stared into its face. In its eyes, images flashed inside, broken and scattered pieces of Arianna's past. A building encased in flames was the last image that passed by before Arianna fired an arrow into the wolf's eye.

The wolf crumbled in ash and its spot was taken up by another. Arianna breathed to settle the beating in her chest as Pitch's mocking laughter rang in her ears.

"Fire all you like, you won't burn out your past no matter how many arrows you lose."

"No, you're right about that."

Arianna strung another arrow and fired it at Pitch's feet. The wood splintered and revealed red cracks before finally exploding and creating a wall of fire.

"Move, Jack!"

Arianna took off from the pack of wolves, flying into the canopies. Jack hesitated from the sudden act, and saw the barrier was slowly fading to embers. The shadowed wolves were in disarray from the explosion. Jack took the opportunity to fly during the confusion, following after Arianna's trail.

The remaining fire was snuffed out by Pitch's fear; the onyx sand had put out the rest of the flickering light. He couldn't contain his laughter as he watched them fly off. The wolves' footsteps crunched over the charred earth, waiting for their master's command.

"Fly as fast as you can, you're only making the hunt more exciting," Pitch looked to his pack. "Find the girl. If the boy gets in the way, dispose of him."

The wolves sent out a howl that pierced the silent night, and they were off, climbing into the air as if it were the ground itself.

"Let's see how fast your past catches up to you, Arianna."


	11. Chapter 10: Slipping

**Chapter 10: Slipping**

The sky was black and the air was freezing. The blood pounded in her ears, and her heart jumped at the slightest flutter or rustle in the woods. Whether it was fear or adrenaline, she couldn't say, right now she didn't care to figure it out. It was impossible to even think properly with her mind screaming a dozen questions at her.

_Where are you going?_

_What do you think you can do?_

_Why did you run?_

_Why didn't you shoot him? _

_What's your next plan?_

_What happens if he catches you?_

She groaned in frustration. She didn't have any answers; each question that formed, was quickly followed by: _I don't know_.

Arianna looked over her shoulder to see if she was being followed, but with no light from the stars or moon, it was hard to pick the wolves out of the night. The howl from the beasts had turned her blood to ice and her mind became frantic. She had heard the howls from wolves when she was human and even then the sound made her shiver, but never did she think that she would be prey to them. Until now.

But, the surrounding area felt nostalgic. Why was that? Arianna cast back to her memories. She remembered something about this area, but it was too vague. Then it suddenly came to her. Ahead was the old stream where she and Abigail used to play at when they were young; maybe she could lose the pack there. She landed on the ground and ran the rest of the way to the stream; flying under the canopy was far too difficult in the dark, and it was a miracle that she didn't crash into any trees.

The stream that used to cut its way through the forest had shrunk to a trickling creek. Well that wasn't going to help her. A stream could have hidden her scent with the water and washed away her footsteps, but a creek was too small and feeble to do that. Arianna looked around the area; an old tree had fallen to the ground and brought down a neighboring pine tree with it. The fall had created a perfect hiding spot, especially with the pine needles still green.

Arianna rushed to the trees and pushed apart the needles to find a small hole that an animal had used as a home. The howls of the wolves were growing closer. Arianna shifted her feet into the hole and kicked at the dirt walls to make it bigger until she could hide her entire body behind the mesh of needles that pricked at her face. It was a tight fit, but at least she was hidden.

Three wolves materialized out of the darkness, amber eyes burning the darkness as they scoured the ground for her scent. Arianna felt her heart pulse in her ears and her breathing felt heavy.

_Easy. Stay calm._

Arianna placed her hand on her chest and inhaled a deep breath. Softly, she exhaled and the pounding in her ears settled. The wolves splashed in the creek, picking up traces of her scent in the water, but they never came close to the fallen pine tree. The thick smell of pine sap and needles had hidden her from the wolves' nose. Carefully and slowly, she pulled an arrow out of her quiver and fastened it to her bow. Her hands did not want to co-operate, they trembled from the flow of adrenaline and fear. It made her muscles feel like lead, but she managed to get her bow armed. Arianna peered through the needles and her heart started to beat loudly in her ears again.

One of the wolves was staring at the fallen trees. Arianna felt like it was looking right at her, just waiting for her to make a run for it.

_It's staring at me. It knows I'm here. Hurry up and kill it! Do it now!_

Her muscles tensed, they were ready to lose the arrow, but Arianna couldn't do it. The wolf broke away from its scouting party and crossed the creek, taking small measured steps as it did. It sniffed the ground, sifting through the different scents, trying to pick out hers.

_It's coming. It's going to find me-No…no. Stay calm. Get yourself together. Don't let fear get the better of you._

Arianna pulled back her bowstring, the thread on the arrowhead and feather started to prickle with heat, and burn red. The wolf treaded closer and closer to the fallen trees, the air coming from its nose had caressed Arianna's face, but still she didn't fire. This close, the wolf should have found her, but the thick smell from the sap of the pine tree and needles was so strong and the air so cold, it had made the wolf's job more difficult. The needles rustled as the wolf brushed it, Arianna's fingers stiffened.

_Just one more step. Just one more and you'll be dead, your pack mates will see it, and I'll have to fire off two more arrows in time before they charge this hiding spot. _

_Snap!_

The breaking of a twig had grabbed the wolf's attention; it looked to where the source of the sound came from. The other two had turned to watch the darkness to find the cause of that noise. Arianna felt her breath catch in her throat as the wolves waited in silence.

Another twig broke with a loud snap, making the wolves ears prick with interests. The wolf near Arianna, that had an arrowhead pointed just inches away from its skull, started a slow and careful trot to the sound, with its comrades following close in their leader's footsteps.

Arianna didn't lower her guard until the soft padding of their feet had faded into the woods.

She crawled out of her hiding spot when the world fell silent, but Arianna clung close to the tree. Her eyes scanned the darkness, keeping vigilant as she tried to reclaim a calm state of mind.

Arrow ready, she slipped away from her hiding spot and pressed into the darkness. She surveyed the area with the slightest sound made; her arrow would be ready to fly if she caught a pair of yellow eyes in the dark, but when none came, she would ease the tension in her muscles and continue on. With the way things were looking, Arianna and Jack would be back at the Cove before Pitch even realized that they had escaped the woods.

Arianna froze in mid-step. _Where was Jack?_ She growled in frustration and rubbed her face; she completely forgot about Jack. With Pitch showing her a past she wanted to forget, and trying to escape without alerting the wolves and Pitch himself. After Jack came all the way out here to make sure she was ok, and she made him an afterthought.

She looked to the tree she hid close to and started to scale it, climbing to the very top and parted the leaves to look out into the canopy; this was extremely dangerous. Looking for Jack like this was exposing herself not only to the dangers in the sky, but the dangers that could be prowling underneath. The horizon revealed no sign of Jack; for her to even have any hope of finding him, Jack had to light his staff.

Another howl shattered the silent night and a chorus of savage barks and growls echoed over the land. They picked up on her scent. Arianna dropped down from the tree and ran with all her might, running blindly in the dark.

She rounded a tree and came face to face with a Fear. Arianna flinched; before she had time to react, the wolf rammed into her stomach and knocked her to the ground. She grunted when her back collided into the hard packed earth, but she kept her eyes on the beast. It started to charge, but Arianna was faster. Her arrow had flown from her hand, and it sunk deep into the Fear's chest; it cried out in pain as the fires leapt at its skin and consumed it entirely. Arianna scrambled to her feet while the fire still burned and ran from the kill. The other wolves and possibly Pitch would have heard that cry.

She barely took a step when a root had snared her foot, and brought her back down to the ground. When her knees hit the dirt, she heard a loud _thunk_ behind her. Arianna glanced behind her; where her neck was, a black scythe had sunk into the thick trunk of a tree.

"Finally caught up to you. For a moment there, I thought I lost you," Pitch said casually.

He ripped the scythe out of trunk where a deep gouging hole was left, just a bit more and the top half of the tree would be on the ground.

"Though, I'm glad you fell at the last-minute, it'd be a tad difficult to talk to you without…well," Pitch said as the scythe faded into a black mist from his hand.

Arianna stood up. The trembling in her body had gone unnoticed, instead her mind was sharp and her fury swelled.

Sparks of fire snapped at her fingertips that soon turned to tendrils of flames that wove into a ball of inferno. With all the rage she could muster, she hurled the sphere at Pitch, but he had anticipated it. He ducked out of the fireball's path only to have a fist slam into his face. Pitch stumbled but he didn't lose balance; Arianna kept on him. She launched another fireball at Pitch, but he made a shield of fear, smothering the ball of flames. She kept firing at Pitch, making sure he couldn't close the distance and get to her.

Pitch though was managing to dance his way out of danger and with each fireball he maneuvered around, the closer he was getting. Arianna felt her anger flare even hotter and she hurled more fire balls relentlessly at her target. She hurled one attack and as the light faded from her eyes, she saw Pitch standing just within arm's length of her. She was taken aback, how did he get by her offense?

Pitch summoned his scythe and swung the weapon at Arianna. He hacked at her, pushing her to be on the defense and with such a large blade and such a long staff, Pitch had reach on him and he was far too close for Arianna to properly dodge. There was a lot of rolling and falling all over herself as she tried to avoid the sharp kiss of the scythe, each one getting closer and closer to touching her skin.

As Arianna furthered herself away from Pitch, a growl sounded off from her left, almost as if it was a battle cry. A Fear was charging straight for her and Arianna gritted her teeth, this was going to hurt. It railed into her with the same force of a real wolf, if not stronger, making her tumbled across the ground and stopping at the base of the tree.

Dazed and dizzy from the brunt of the attack, Arianna used the tree to help her stand, but the wolf ran into her again, throwing her back into the tree. A loud snap had sent searing white-hot pain through one of Arianna's wings; she shouted in agony. She tried to move it in a desperate attempt, but it only provoked painful tears to rise in her eyes.

"It's a shame that things had come to this, but at the very least, you won't be able to fly off and disappear."

Arianna glared daggers at Pitch. He approached where Arianna sat and knelt in front of her.

"You don't have to go through this pain anymore. I could save you from your terminable end," Pitch said in a soft and gentle voice.

"At what cost?" Arianna spat, the pain wracked her body.

"All I ask, is for your bow."

Arianna stared. _Did I just hear him right?_

"My bow? Why? So you can get to The Cove?"

Pitch snickered, "The Cove? There's nothing there now that you're here."

Arianna stared at him and he laughed. "I know all about that trick of yours. The only way to The Cove is either by your fire portals or by that Jolly Giant's snow globes. Those are the only things that Aethon will allow to open that ridiculous shield that he's made."

There was a reason Arianna didn't have to fear Pitch coming to her territory. It wasn't because The Cove was untraceable. In fact, to some it didn't even exist. It was a land that was cut out from the world long ago and was hidden away by incredible power. The only person who had that type of power were the Founders. But they needed a conduit to help keep up the stability of that land, otherwise, the Cove would simply fade from existence. Aethon wasn't sure if he was human or simply made from the Founder's image, but all he knew were the orders given to him by the Man in the Moon. He was the key to keeping the land together, but he had powers of his own. Aethon was the one to decide who and who wasn't permitted to come to the Cove and only when he was in search of his new Cupid could he ever leave. In his own way, Aethon was as much as a Guardian as Jack and the others, but he was also a prisoner to his own fate, like Arianna.

"Then why do you want my bow?" Arianna's hand gripped her weapon hard. As much as she might have hated her Fate, this bow had given her a life she never would have known and it also held memories of her past life; the source of her joy and her pain, she would not give it up, not for anything.

"For me to save you, your bow is a key element for me to break the chains that Fate has constricted around you."

Arianna glared. She fastened an arrow and aimed it at Pitch's forehead. "Can't give you the bow, care for an arrow instead?"

The wolf that broke her wing barreled into her again, causing both her and the Fear to roll across the ground. During the tumble, the wolf snapped its jaw shut on Arianna's arm that held the bow; the fangs sunk deep into her arm and blood wept from the wounds. Arianna cried in pain, she squirmed to get out of the nightmare's mouth, but the wolf put its massive paw on Arianna's back, putting all the weight on her shoulder blades.

Her body shook, agony flayed her nerves and her mind was in a frenzy. Her bow laid a few feet away; it was knocked out of her hand during the scuffle, and Pitch had the audacity to touch it.

"DON'T TOUCH-"Arianna shouted as she tried to pull away from the nightmare, but the wolf sunk its teeth deeper in her arm and crushed her back with its weight. Arianna screamed in pain, her free hand tearing up tuffs of grass as more blood ran down her arm and on the ground under her. Tears dripped out from the corners of her eyes, while she watched Pitch run his hands across her bow, observing it carefully.

"You're in no condition to fight, my dear. Just relax."

Pitch walked over to her and knelt so she could look into his face, "For now, I need you to keep the other Guardians busy. So care to have a little fun?"

* * *

Jack heard the nightmare's howls and barks, but Arianna's screams of torture was the only sound that was able to strike and numb Jack's chest with dread. Jack was able to evade and freeze the hounds that stalked his shadow, but he cared little about hiding from them now. Jack climbed a tree and scaled into the air, the wind cradling him as he searched the forest for any sign of Arianna. He strained against the silent night, hoping to hear something, anything to point him in the right direction.

Jack cursed himself. When they separated, Jack tried his best to find Arianna, but he should have tried harder. How could he let her fight off Pitch and his wolves alone?

Another ear-splitting scream shook the woods and Jack immediately pursued. Jack raced the wind, hoping to reach Arianna in time.

He fell through the canopies, landing on his feet and racing to where the screams continued. The closer he ran toward the screams, the sound of ravenous barks and growls grew with the screams.

_Just a little more, just a little further. Hang on, Arianna. Please, hang on._

Jack broke through shrubs and stumbled into a small clearing. The nightmare hounds growled and snapped at Jack's direction, but Jack didn't care about those. Pitch slowly turned to Jack, glaring.

"You still haven't shaken that nasty habit of interfering."

"Where is she?" Jack barked. His staff hummed with power, and he aimed it at Pitch.

Pitch smirked, "Are you upset?" He turned and Jack saw in his hand Arianna's bow. Jack's mind flared with rage and a torrent of snow and ice burst forth from his staff, but Pitch slipped away from the attack. When he did, Jack saw that Arianna was behind him and the attack was going to hit her. Jack couldn't close the distance fast enough to pull her out of his attack's path.

Arianna gritted her teeth and summoned a shield of fire, but it wasn't enough. The brunt of the attack melted away from the fire, but the rest of the attack struck Arianna hard. She cried in pain when the frost collided into her, once the mist from the fire and frost attack diminished, Arianna was curled into a ball, holding herself tight.

"You should be a little more cautious with your attacks, Jack. You don't know who you'll hurt from your recklessness."

Jack flung another attack at Pitch, but Pitch simply avoided the attacks, leaving sculptures of ice and fear in his wake. Pitch slipped into the shadows, and Jack halted his attack. He looked into the tree lines and only saw golden eyes from the wolves.

"How does it feel Jack, to be the one messing things up all over again?"

"SHUT UP!" Jack shouted. In his rage, he attacked the Nightmares that stalked the shadows, hoping that Pitch would be one of the targets he stumbled on.

"Careful Jack. You aren't only fighting for yourself, you know."

Jack stopped his attack and turned to see a small band of wolves closing in on Arianna.

"Get away from her!" Jack charged the Nightmares, slamming his staff into the creatures and breaking their form. He stood in front of Arianna, guarding her from the rest of the pack.

Pitch laughed and his voice echoed in the air, "When it comes to her Jack, it seems you lose focus and your attacks become erratic. Tell me, are you afraid of losing her to the darkness, or are you ashamed that you failed as a Guardian, because you couldn't protect her?"

Jack wouldn't let himself be baited, he stood his ground and tried to stifle his anger. The pack didn't advance any closer to Jack, instead they were retreating.

"Can't answer Jack? Are you afraid to find out the answer? If you won't make the effort to indulge my curiosity, than I suppose I'm done toying with the two of you."

The nightmare's slowly melted away, their presence thinning with each force leaving to follow after their master. "Pitch!"

"If you want to chase after me, Jack, than by all means, but can you really afford it with your limited amount of time?"

Pitch's presence had all but disappeared from the forest and Jack felt the tension in his arm slack. His chest heaved with rage; he let Pitch get away. Jack quickly put the thought out of his mind, right now, Arianna needed him.

Jack quickly walked to her side and dropped to his knees. The way she looked, slumped against the tree, it made his stomach tighten up in painful knots. Her hair that was usually pulled into a pony tail, was loose and fell around her face. Her tunic was ripped, frayed and blood stained. Her arms sported fresh lacerations and a nasty bite to the arm and her legs were bruised and smudged with dirt.

"Arianna?" Jack pushed a curtain of hair out of her face and saw her eyes closed. To the touch, her hair was soaked from his frost attack that was meant for Pitch. Her face looked like she was in the middle of a very painful dream, her eyebrows knitting in pain, the frown on her lips. The rise in her chest sent a rush of relief over Jack.

"Ari. Hey, you with me?"

He shook her gently, but her face contorted in pain. Slowly her eyes opened and the haziness in them cleared when she saw Jack.

"Jack," she croaked. She smiled softly at him, but Jack flinched at her smile. He didn't deserve the smile, he came too late to help her, and he even hurt her. But she didn't seem to care about any of that. "Glad you're alright."

Jack felt revulsion. She's glad that he's alright?

_How can you be happy that I'm fine? I didn't get here fast enough to protect you. I let you down, and you're happy that I came out of it fine?_

Jack's hands curled into fists. He was so worthless. If anyone else would have been here, they would have protected her. If Aethon was here, he would have taken the hits that were meant for her. Jack swallowed his hatred for himself; now was not the time to curse himself. Arianna needed care and she needed it now.

He put on a fake smile, "Let's not worry about me. Come on, we need to get you out of here."

He wrapped his arm around Arianna's side and gently pulled her off the ground, but she inhaled sharply, "N-no, no, don't move me."

Jack stared in confusion, "W-what's wrong?"

"Left shoulder."

Jack looked to where she told him, and his body went numb. A thin black arrow was imbedded in her shoulder, and it was deep. The feathers were only a few inches from gracing her skin. Jack stared like a dazed child. He never experienced this kind of wound, and he didn't know how to help her. Arianna had seen Jack become paralyzed at the sight of the arrow.

"Hey, it's ok. It's not as bad as it looks. Just listen to me and do exactly what I say. Now, I need you to find me a small stick. It needs to be a stick, can't be a twig, that'll break to easy."

Jack didn't understand the need, but he followed her orders and found a decent stick that she took into her hands.

"Now, I need you to listen, because this next part is important. The arrow pierced the tree when Pitch shot me so I can't move. I need you to break the end with the feathers off and pull me off of the arrow. I'm going to try not to scream, but I can't promise I won't go into shock. Once I'm free, I need you to wrap my shoulder up in a tourniquet and get me to Aethon as fast as you can. He can treat these wounds."

"What am I going to use as a-"

Arianna started to tear at her tunic, making the dress stop at her thighs as she handed him the bundle of cloth. "This is going to have to hold. Ok. We need to be quick about this."

Jack nodded and moved to her side with the arrow. His fingers fumbled at the feathers, the nerves wouldn't let him work properly, but Arianna reassured him with a soft smile. He breathed and quickly snapped the feathers off the arrow. She grunted in pain, but she smiled.

"Easy. Now just pull me off." Arianna placed the stick into her mouth and Jack stared at her, horrified.

She simply nodded for him to continue. Jack wrapped his arms around her back as she hugged him back. At first he tried to pull her off slowly, but her nails dug into him and her promise to not scream had been broken. Quickly, Jack pulled and Arianna's muffled screams rang in his ears. The stick cracked from her biting it so hard, but once he had her up on her feet, the screaming stopped.

Arianna opened her mouth and the stick fell out as she laughed, "Wasn't so bad, right?"

Jack looked at her face; it had turned deathly pale and sweat started to bead on her skin. Jack sat down, still holding onto her as he grabbed the bundle of cloth and tightened the bandages tight around her bleeding shoulder. Pulling her off the arrow had sapped what little strength she had left in her. Jack had to hurry, she was slipping into shock, and her body was getting weaker. He pulled her arm over his shoulder and he grabbed his staff and with a gust of winter wind, Jack was off to the Cove, holding Arianna tight to him.


End file.
